In the Blood
by Janice Cox
Summary: An Internet-prowling Hunter is keeping Nick busy, leaving Natalie to fend for herself when the monsters come calling. A first season story told from Natalie's perspective. 2001 Forever Knight Fan Fiction Award finalist.
1. Chapter One

In the Blood

**In the Blood **

A Forever Knight fan fiction story

Author's note: If this story seems familiar, it's because it's loosely based on a round robin story from a few years back entitled "In Cyberspace No One Can Hear You Bleed." Thanks to Susan Garrett for starting that round robin and for suggesting some of the situations which I've blatantly borrowed for Chapter One. 

Chapter One

"Nick? Anybody home?" Natalie Lambert pushed the metal door open and stuck her head inside. Though it was well after dark, the heavy metal shades over Nick's skylight windows were still closed, and she squinted in the darkness, waiting uneasily for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. "Yo! Knight!" The only light was from what looked like a small television on the corner of a writing desk she'd never seen before.

"Hi, Nat." Just like that, he was in front of her. Natalie jumped back, knowing even as she did it that it was only Nick, using his uncanny speed to make one of his dramatic appearances.

"Darn it, Nick! You scared the heck out of me!" She swatted at him lightly.

"Expecting someone else?" He smiled, and the tension knotted in her chest loosened.

"Noooo, but I really wish you'd give a girl a little warning. Things like this are going to make me old before my time." Nick gestured and she walked into his apartment, tossing her purse and coat onto the couch more from memory than from actually being able to _see_ anything.

"I doubt that." He gave her a warm look that sent tingles all the way down to her toes. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Belatedly he flicked on a table lamp, and the room was suddenly visible. Natalie gave a low whistle.

"Wow. When you take a few days off you really let things go, don't you?" Furniture had been pushed haphazardly around to make room for the new desk, and several empty boxes, along with an enormous amount of packing material, were scattered around the room. Nick grinned and disappeared into the kitchen, to come back a moment later with a can of soda and a glass.

"It's my latest project. I've been told that I need to join the twentieth century." Handing her the glass and can, he brushed plastic "peanuts" aside and settled comfortably next to her on the couch.

"Well, I'd say you haven't been doing too bad so far." She smiled and gestured around his apartment. "No gas lamps, and I seem to recall a certain Cadillac outside."

"Ah, but that's the old technology. The trend of the future is digital. Computers, to be precise."

"But you know how to use those," Nat protested. "You can't type worth a damn, but I think that's a disease endemic to cops, not vampires." She poured the soda into the glass and took a sip. "I can't imagine wanting to use one after hours. To say nothing of when I was on vacation." She poked him in the ribs. "Most people try to have _fun_ when they take time off, Knight."

"I am," he protested with a grin. "Actually, it's a lot more fun than I'd imagined. Want to take a look?"

"You have one here? Ah, so that's what the screen is for. I didn't think you were the type to spend your free time glued to the tube." She followed him over to the new writing desk, allowing herself the enjoyment of watching Nick from behind. Poor boy just didn't know how darned good looking he was.

"Television? Nah. Too violent." Nick pulled a chair from the kitchen while Natalie made herself comfortable at the office chair at the desk. Brightly colored fish "swam" back and forth across the screen, but otherwise it looked all to much like the monster at work that regularly ate her files. Nick pulled his chair up next to hers and sat down. He touched the mouse and the fish disappeared, to be replaced by some sort of filing program. "This is my e-mail program. I can communicate with people anywhere in the world at the press of a button." He clicked on a mailbox image and a metallic buzzing started. "That's the modem. You have to dial in using the phone lines."

"I seem to remember hearing something about that," Nat replied dryly. "So _that's_ why I haven't been able to get through to you! I've been trying to reach you by phone for hours, you know."

"Sorry about that. Someone from the phone company will be by tomorrow to put in a second phone line." A beat, and he turned to face her. "Why were you calling? Something wrong?"

"Do I have to have a reason to give my favorite detective a call when he's on vacation? Okay, okay, I do have a case I want to run by you, but I was also just getting kind of worried. It's not like you to be on the phone that long, and I was beginning to think that something had knocked the phone off the hook."

Nick shook his head. "Nope. I've been trying to get used to all of this new jargon, though, and that does take time. But Jack was right. This is going to be a vital tool for us in the coming years."

"Us? Ah, the vampire community. Somehow I would have thought most of them too…hidebound for something like this."

"We can't afford to be. If we don't keep up, we stand out. If we stand out, we die," he finished simply. "That's why he set me up with one of these. I helped him out a few months back with a little quiet investigation. This," Nick waved at the computer, "is how he's paying me back."

"A vampire computer hacker, huh?" At Nick's look she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Nick! I mean, it's not hard to figure out. And it's not like you have all that many mortal friends, anyway."

"I know. We just try to keep a low profile, that's all. Revealing the existence of another vampire is a very serious crime among us."

"Well, I won't tell a soul." Natalie crossed her heart. "So what else does this thing do? Besides deliver the mail?"

"Well, there are some interesting research possibilities, but what I've been playing with today is something called Internet Relay Chat, or IRC."

"Which must be what this little thingie is for." Reaching forward, Natalie clicked on the small smiley face with the letters "IRC" in red below it on the computer screen. The blue skies picture on the screen disappeared, to be replaced by a large white box with text scrolling rapidly up it.

"Nat!" Nick pulled the mouse away, looking vaguely alarmed. "That's set up for some…private chat."

"'Private' chat? Mmm. Sounds like 'vampire' chat to me. So, what does an immortal blood sucker have to talk about at four in the morning?"

Nick sighed, apparently giving up. "Pretty much the same things anyone talks about. This particular room is hosted by my friend, however. People from the Community hang out here. It's a place where we can 'let down our hair,' so to speak. Mortals aren't supposed to have this address."

Natalie leaned over and wrinkled her nose at him. "Well, you know, I think you'll just have to trust me on this. Some folks would say I'm pretty reliable."

"And you are." He kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry. Too much time in the Community and I start to get paranoid."

"Yeah, I can I can understand that. Hey, there's your name!" She pointed to the screen.

**Jack** Hey Nick! w/b. You get your e-mail running yet?  
**2FerTues** re, nick  
**MamaBear** hey sweetie we missed ya!  
**Dark076** So Remmie where's a good/safe place to stay in Bakersfield? I can't believe I'm going there… 

Nick pulled the keyboard to him and painstakingly typed in something. A second later it appeared on the screen and quickly scrolled upward.

**KNick** Yes, thanks. Have I missed anything?  
**2FerTues** omg, say it ain't so! BAKERSFIELD???  
**Jack** Just the usual parade of idiots. vbg  
**MamaBear** Watch it, Mr J, or Mama's gonna come over there and spank you. ;-)=  
**CajunR** Bakersfield, huh? Chere, why don't you just go sunbathing and get it over with? 

"It's happening so fast!" Natalie laughed. "This is like being at a dinner party with half a dozen conversations going on around you."

"I know what you mean. I spent the first hour or so just watching the screen move, trying to follow the conversation threads. This can be very addicting."

"Well, at least it's a harmless addiction. Hey, what's that?" Another screen had popped up.

> ***Jack*** Can we talk for a sec? Type into the little box below, not the main screen  
***KNick*** I think we can handle that.  
***Jack*** We? Who's there?  
***KNick*** Just Natalie. 

"Ow!"

> ***KNick*** Let me rephrase. The wonderful, beauteous Natalie has graced me with her presence.  
***Jack*** Good save. Hi, Natalie. You had me worried for a minute there, Nick.  
***KNick*** Why?

"Not very trusting, is he?"

"Jack's maybe a little more cautious than most. But he's a good friend. He even knows about you, Nat."

"So I gathered. You're not putting my number up on any vampire bathroom walls, are you, Nick?"

"No, of course not. But Jack acts as a sort ofclearinghouse for Community information. He won't pass on your name, but there are others who might be interested in a cure, if we can find one."

"Something I definitely wouldn't mind sharing. Oh, he's back."

> ***Jack*** We've had an unwanted visitor lately. Didn't get a chance to tell you about him earlier. Looks like we may have a cyber Hunter on our hands.  
***KNick*** What evidence do you have?  
***Jack*** I was hoping you'd ask. Nothing concrete, but three of Ontario's elders have been taken out in the past month, and we've gotten some nasty flames I haven't been able to trace yet.  
***KNick*** Flames? Haven't heard of any fires around here.  
***Jack*** ::shakes head:: Hostile posts. Nasty, angry stuff. Mostly on some of the bulletin boards we use, but yesterday we had someone show up in a "gothic"   
***Jack*** room where some of the fledglings hang out and give everyone a scare. Whoever it is, he knows about us, and he's not happy.  
***KNick*** I'd like to see those. Maybe there's a clue in how they're written. Can I come by later?  
***Jack*** How about I e-mail them to you? I can have them ready in just a few minutes. There's something else you need to know about the dead ones—I'll include that, too.  
***KNick*** Fine. I'll be looking for them.  
***Jack*** Cool. Now--oh hell. Looks like the BB just crashed. Again. I've got to run. Watch your back.**  
/Jack QUIT IRC**  
***KNick*** Jack?

"I think we lost him." Natalie leaned back in her chair and stretched. "Looks like the bad guys aren't exactly behind the times, either." Bad guys? Hunters were humans who hunted down vampires. Most of whom probably deserved everything they got, she thought with a mental grimace. But Hunters, according to Nick, weren't much interested in shades of gray. A Hunter would stake Nick as happily as he would a slavering monster. The idea made her stomach twist into knots.

"No, I guess not." Nick turned off the computer, frowning. He tapped his fingers on the table for several seconds, then blinked and turned to face her. "But that can wait. You said something about a case?"

Well, that conversation was certainly over. Nick was getting better about sharing that part of his life with her, but Natalie knew that there was a lot he still didn't—or couldn't—share. "Yeah. I hate to bother you on vacation, but I thought you should know about this." She got up and crossed to the couch, where she pulled a heavy manila envelope from her purse.

"It's not a homicide, so normally neither one of us would get involved. But the rape kit turned up something interesting, and it got kicked my way." Natalie handed him a Polaroid snapshot. "This is Candida Mitchell. She was attacked two nights ago outside a dance club downtown." Natalie had seen the photo before, but it still haunted her. The woman had been badly beaten, and her face and exposed shoulders were covered with swollen purple welts and deep scratches. A white bandage stood out against the darkened flesh, covering the right side of her neck and shoulder. Natalie saw Nick's gaze automatically go there, but what had caught her own attention was the look in Candida's eyes. They were dead, hopeless eyes. Eyes that said that, though she might have survived, something inside her had died.

"Vampire?" Nick's good humor was gone. She was sorry for it, but one look at the photo and Natalie plowed ahead anyway.

"No, doesn't look like it. I managed to get a copy of the medical records." She pulled out eight by ten glossies of the wound and handed them across. "Most of the tearing was definitely done by a human mouth, but there's no evidence of abnormally pronounced canines. This is tearing and crushing damage, not impaling." It was a credit to Nick's humanity that he flinched from the sight of the terrible wounds.

"Will she recover?" he asked quietly.

"Physically, she'll live. Probably will even have some limited mobility in that arm. Mentally, I don't know. She doesn't remember what happened. Doesn't remember much of anything, as a matter of fact." Natalie sighed. "Whatever happened shocked the hell out of her, Nick."

"Rape can do that." Nick's face was remote. He was somewhere else, Natalie knew, reliving some past moment of painful experience.

"Yeah. But she wasn't raped. Her clothing was ripped all to hell and she was nearly catatonic, so the ER ran a rape exam as a matter of course. They didn't come up with any signs of sexual trauma. No semen, no tissue tearing in places you would have expected. What they did come up with was this." She pulled out the final report and handed it to Nick. He looked at it, then looked back up at her expectantly.

"It's a report on the tissue samples they found under her nails. They took one look at this and sent it down to me."

"One of ours did this? No, of course, they wouldn't know about—"

"Nope," Natalie overrode him. "They sent it down because yours truly just happens to be—tada!" she flashed her plastic ID card, "City Coroner." She sobered quickly. "They gave it to me because the guy that did this is dead. Had been for three or four days when he attacked her, as a matter of fact."

End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"She was attacked by a dead man." Nick leaned back and nodded. "Sounds like something up your alley, all right." 

"Well, _our_ alley, anyway. It wasn't a vampire, but I can't think of any scientific reason for a dead man to go around attacking young women. I guess it could be some guy in a flesh body suit , but that idea even creeps _me_ out. I was hoping you'd have something a little less…" 

"Macabre? Sorry. Popular fiction aside, there just aren't that many different things that go bump in the night out there. I think the most likely answer is that the attacker has some kind of fetish. Maybe he's carrying around a piece of his dead grandmother." Nick's gaze had strayed back to the computer. "I wish I could be more help, but at this point I think it's something for the police to handle." He grinned a little absently. "The other police, I mean. This isn't even a homicide." 

"Nick, did you see the wounds? This wasn't just some sort of rape gone wrong. And he didn't just bite her. He _ate _her. She lost at least a pound of flesh from her neck and shoulder. An inch or two higher and he'd have ripped out her jugular and this _would_ be one of your cases!" Natalie pushed her hair out of her eyes and scowled at him. She loved him dearly (like a brother, oh, _of course_), but sometimes Nick was such a…well, a brick. Completely focused on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. And right now that one thing wasn't her, or even poor Candida Mitchell. It was The Community, and whatever his friend Jack was e-mailing him. She felt an utterly unreasonable twinge of jealousy. 

"Look, I know that you're on vacation, and that this isn't one of your cases. I just thought you might have some idea of what's doing this." Natalie took back the report and stuffed it back into the manila envelope. "Whoever—_what_ever did this, he could strike again. And this time his victim might not be so 'lucky'." 

Nick blinked, and came back from wherever his thoughts had taken him. Warm compassion rose up in his eyes again and he reached out to gently stroke her hair. "I'm sorry. That sounded a little harsh, didn't it? But I honestly can't think of a connection. Vampires don't decompose. We're either alive, or we're dust. And the only zombies I've ever heard of were made that way through drugs, not death." 

"Well, it was worth a shot." Her frustration at Nick and her anger at what was done to the victim slowly drained away, leaving Natalie tired and discouraged. "Maybe you're right. There's probably a rational explanation for this. Sick, but rational." 

"Vampires aren't the only monsters out there," Nick said quietly. "Sometimes humans do things that far surpass anything that we are capable of." 

"More bad memories?" Pain had flitted across Nick's face again. Now it was gone and he smiled tiredly. 

"Some days more than others." He didn't elaborate, and after a moment Nat nodded and reached for her purse. 

"Look, why don't I get out of here and let you get back to your computer? It's getting late—I mean early—and I need to get some things done before I hit the sack." 

"It shows that much, does it? All right. Why don't you go get some rest, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Maybe we can go catch a movie. A comedy." He tapped her nose playfully. "I think we could both use a few laughs." 

"That sounds nice." And it did. Nick, when she could get (and _keep_) his attention, was a wonderful companion. Thoughtful, charming, handsome. But talk about dating a guy with _issues_… "Why don't you give me a call? I have a feeling that getting through to you might be just a little tough until the phone guy shows up." 

"Deal." He helped her with her coat and walked her to the door. As Natalie fumbled for her keys just outside the door she could swear she heard the high-pitched whine of a modem connecting. 

### 

"Natalie, you are an angel." Martin DuBois, day shift medical examiner and moonlighting actor, bowed low over her hand before giving it a courtly kiss. "You have saved my life. No, more important, you have saved my audition. I thank you, William Shakespeare thanks you, and the countless fans who would otherwise have been deprived of my glorious 'Claudius' thank you most of all." 

"I take it the audition went well," Natalie replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

"The show, in this case a most deft performance of Hamlet, will indeed go forth with myself as the dread King Claudius." He dropped his theatrical poise and continued in a more normal tone of voice. "Unless, of course, Conoco changes their mind about funding our little play. I've been hearing rumors for more than a month that they're on the verge of layoffs." He shrugged, hanging up his suit jacket and donning his white lab coat. "The precarious life of an actor. Thank you again for covering for me. And on your day off, no less. Anything exciting?" 

"No, it's been pretty quiet around here." An old joke—because all of their patients were notoriously closed mouthed—but also the truth. Most of the 'action' the coroner's office saw would start on Friday night, two nights from now. "But now that you're here, I'm taking off. It just so happens that I have a date tonight." Color rose in her cheeks as Martin beamed. 

"And about time. You spend far too much time here. In the words of my granddaughter, you need to 'get a life'." 

"I'm trying to, believe me." But nice men didn't grow on trees, did they? It had been a long time since her last date, long enough that she was calling her little 'dinner for one, movie for two' with Nick a date. They were more than just patient and doctor, but…well, if ever a relationship deserved to be called "complicated," theirs did. Nat wasn't even sure that they were having a date. Maybe it was just hanging out with a good friend. Or maybe it was some strange Nick apology for his behavior last night. Or…_oh, just stop it, Natalie. You're having dinner and a nice movie with a good looking guy. Stop analyzing it and just have a good time. Okay? _

"Then I'll leave you to it. Oh, and Grace said to give you this." He handed her a phone message slip and went to examine the status board. Natalie opened the folded note. 

Nat—

Something's come up, and I'm going to be a little late. How about take-out Chinese and a video? I'll leave a key in the usual place. Meet me there after you get off and I'll bring the noodles.

Nick 

So much for her "hot date." Natalie slowly stripped off her lab coat and went to freshen her makeup and check her hair. It wouldn't do to show up at Nick's smelling of formaldehyde and looking as pasty as one of her patients, even if the guy in question deserved exactly that. _Martin's granddaughter was right. I really, really need to get a life_. 

###

Natalie let herself in, flicking on the overhead lights and then tossing the spare key onto the small table near the door before closing Nick's front door behind her. A little cool water on her face and the brisk night air on the drive over had relieved her spirits. The bouquet of flowers that was delivered a few minutes later did even more to improve her mood, as did the place settings for two on the kitchen table.Nick did try, and sometimes even managed moments of romanticism that took her breath away. Tonight looked like it had potential to be one of those moments, after all. 

A few minutes of idle wandering through his empty loft and her gaze fell on the computer. It was on and humming quietly to itself. The screen saver was active, giving no indication of what he might have been working on. The boxes, at least, had disappeared. Temptation warred with respect for Nick's privacy, and won by a photo finish. Nick was inherently a private sort of guy, and reading someone else's mail was a nasty invasion of privacy. Though the idea of finding out exactly what vampires talked about when no one else was around _was_ awfully tempting… 

She shook her head and headed instead for the kitchen. Nick's refrigerator was, of course, nearly empty. A half dozen unlabeled bottles of what could be mistaken for red wine sat on one shelf. She'd been on him to go "cold turkey," but so far without much success. At least it was cow's blood, she consoled herself. Sitting on the other side of the shelf like soldiers from an opposing army was a small selection of sodas and a bottle of actual wine. Nice one, too. Helping herself to a cold Coke, Natalie popped the top and wandered back out onto the living room. 

Nick's answering machine wasn't blinking. Hopefully that meant that he was on his way, and not delayed any further. Natalie settled down on the couch and picked up a computer manual. Several of them were stacked on the coffee table, each with notes in Nick's elegant handwriting on the front cover. At least she'd have something to do while she waited. 

Five minutes later her eyelids were drooping. Computer manuals, she'd discovered, were duller than college textbooks and a really great way to put yourself to sleep. She was saved from being found asleep on Nick's couch by the rough hissing sound of a modem connecting. Curious, she tossed aside the manual and walked back to the computer desk. 

Setting down her can of soda on the desk apparently disturbed the mouse. The swimming fish disappeared, to be replaced by Nick's mail program. The hard drive muttered to itself as several messages appeared on the screen, then grew silent. The last message was displayed on the screen. Curiosity overriding any remaining reluctance, Nat read the message.

Nick: 

> Rotherham was found dead tonight in New York. Five elders now, and the Big Es have been asking around for me—I'm sure you can figure out why. They'll probably come sniffing your way, too, so watch out, and watch out for N. Give me a call as soon as you get in. 

Jack

_Watch out for N_. Natalie. And "Big E" had to be the Enforcers, the SS Squad and PC Police combined of the vampire world. _Terrific. Well, you keep saying you want to be a part of Nick's world. As grandma would say, watch out what you ask for_. 

"Reading my mail?" Nick's voice, warm and teasing, came from directly behind her. Natalie jumped and spun to face him, fear, embarrassment, and anger warring on her face and in her veins. 

"God, I wish you'd stop that!" As she had the night before Natalie swung at him, but this time the blow had a little force behind it. Nick caught her hand in mid air, gracing her with his best "I'll never understand women" look. 

"Nat, what's wrong? I'm sorry I startled you." He released her hand and took a step back, watching her with amusement and some concern. 

"I'm fine." She took a deep breath and took a step to the side, away from the computer and away from him. "But you've really got to work on your entrances, buster. And I think you'd better read your mail. It came in just before you did." 

Still smiling faintly, Nick patted her arm and glanced at the computer screen. A second later he was sitting at the computer desk, phone in hand. "Damn it. I was afraid of this." 

"Nick, what's this mean? Who's Rotherham?" 

"An elder vampire. On of the oldest of our kind. Or at least he was." He punched in a local number. "Once a vampire reaches a certain age, it's almost unheard of for one to be killed by a Hunter. They're just too tough. For five to die within a few weeks is…very bad." His attention turned toward the phone. 

"Jack? It's Nick. Pick up if you're there. Yes, I just got in. No, Nat's here with me. The Enforcers haven't been here." He raised his eyebrows at her and she shook her head in confirmation. "But I'm not exactly hard to find. Uh-huh." He frowned doubtfully and then hit the speaker button. An unfamiliar voice, presumably Jack's, filled the sudden silence. 

"Like I was saying, I can't prove any of it. Merlin can confirm that none of the old guys had availed themselves of his service--or mine--but try telling the Council that they died because they didn't stay current. Much easier to blame in on the new technology." 

"And the ones promoting it," Nick added. 

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure my name's on somebody's hit list about now. But I can take care of myself, Nick. What's I'm worried about is what's going to happen if the Council rules against us. Besides putting geeks like me out of a job, it'll mean cutting the Community off from the most dynamic form of communication the world has ever seen. We'll be outside the loop, and then we'll all be dead." 

"You really think it will be that bad?" Nick asked quietly. 

"It's already begun. The Internet gives mortals a new way to communicate. It's faster than a letter or even a newspaper, and it's flexible in a way that television and radio can't be. Even if you ignore how useful it would be for us to be able to communicate among ourselves on the 'net, think of what would happen if a mortal got proof of our existence. We cover the major newspapers and television stations, but how to you police the Internet? We'll never figure it out how--or even run damage control--if we stick our heads in the sand the way the Council wants us to." 

"Okay, you've sold me. Not that I needed a lot of convincing." 

"Yeah, you're one of our more 'out there' guys, Knight. I still can't believe you're really a cop." He sounded amused at the idea. "But it's because you're a cop that I'm going to ask you for a favor." He seemed oddly reluctant to continue. 

Nick finished it for him. "You want me to investigate the murders." 

"You got it. You've got some of the best investigative skills out there right now, and, better yet, you've got mortal connections. If a Hunter did kill those guys, I can't believe he didn't leave some kind of evidence behind. If anyone can find it, you can." 

"But won't that put Nick right in the path of this Hunter?" Natalie had been content to sit and listen—she'd probably gained more knowledge about vampires in the last few minutes than she had in the last few months combined—but she didn't like the sudden turn in the conversation. Not one bit. 

"Yeah. If I could think of any other way, Nick, I wouldn't even ask." 

"Don't worry about it. I can take care of myself, too. And this is too important to ignore." He put a hand on Natalie's arm and squeezed gently. "I've run into a Hunter or two in my time and lived to tell the tale." 

"Well, just don't get all cocky on me. Remember, whoever he is, he's taken out five elders. You may be big time in Toronto, Knight, but those boys made us all look like school kids. And this guy tore them apart." 

"I'll be careful," Nick promised. 

"Nick, I really don't like this. Jack's right. It's very dangerous. And I thought you were trying to cut ties to the Community." In the ensuing silence Nat realized she might have said too much. 

"I am trying to become mortal, Nat. But that doesn't mean I can ignore what I am now. What I have been for eight hundred years. I have to do this." His tone made it clear that Nick had already made up his mind. 

"And I hate to say it, but Nick's not going to be the only one in danger." Jack added."Me, I can go to ground. Wouldn't be the first time. Nick, you're a hell of a lot more visible, and so is Natalie. Not to mention your partner, and anybody else who's had the bad taste to befriend you lately. You take this on, and even if the Hunter doesn't get you, the Enforcers might." 

"You're too kind. But your point is taken. Schanke's on vacation in New Hampshire, so he should be safe enough for the next week or so. But Nat…" 

"But they don't know about me, do they? I mean, I thought we'd been pretty careful about that." Natalie sat down on the edge of the computer desk and addressed her question to the telephone. 

"They don't know about your attempts to find a cure, but if they ask around they'll find out that you're a friend of Nick's. And if the Council sends Enforcers out to take care of Nick, they'll eliminate any mortals he's befriended on the off chance they _might_ know about him. Enforcers subscribe to the 'Burn 'em all and let the devil sort it out' school of philosophy." He sighed. "Messy, but effective." 

"I'm still playing catch-up here. Why would this Council be after Nick?" Natalie asked. 

"Nick already pushes what Council allows by interacting so heavily with mortals. I mean, he's a cop, for God's sake. Now he's consorting with one of the guys--that would be me--who the Council thinks off'd five of their most influential members. If Nick shows up at the site of the last kill, the Council's going to draw its own conclusions and add his name to the Enforcer hit list." 

"Jack, I don't think that Nat needs to hear all of this," Nick interrupted. 

"Why not? She already knows enough to get her killed. And if she's as smart as you say she is, maybe she'll see something that we've missed." 

"Nick, I think he's got a point." There was nothing like being talked about like she wasn't there—or, worse yet, like she was an unruly child of three—to really get Natalie's back up. "My life is on the line, too, you know." She let out a short, humorless laugh. "And I don't think they can kill me any more dead for knowing _why_ they're going to try to kill me." 

"Maybe you're right. But I don't like it, Nat. You shouldn't have to be involved in any of this." 

Natalie tousled his dark blond hair affectionately. "I knew you'd be trouble from the moment I laid eyes on you. Haven't regretted it so far." She let her hand drop. "So. What's the plan?" 

### 

Natalie tapped impatiently on the telephone receiver, willing it to ring. Nick had persuaded her to stay at his place until dawn, while he took advantage of what was left of the night to fly to New York, where the last of the murders had occurred. Nick's place was undoubtedly more secure than her apartment, but it lacked all of the things that might have provided a welcome distraction from her worrying. And for once those worries weren't just for Nick. She was in danger, too. As a doctor Natalie was used to having a great deal of control over her surroundings. Now she had none. There wasn't even the mindless babble of a television to keep her mind from restlessly dredging up useless 'what ifs'. 

But there was a computer. Shoving herself up off of the couch, she walked back to Nick's computer. She could check the chat rooms without tying up her cell phone, and that was the number Nick would try first as soon as he had news. A few mouse clicks, and the now-familiar lines of chat began to scroll across the screen. 

**2FerTues** So I try it on, and omg, the things it did for my backside. Looked like you could have landed a DC-10 there. 

**MamaBear** I know exactly what you mean, Drinks. 

**Dark076** Yeah too much and you burp copper all day long. Yuck. 

> **MessyDrinker** At least I know I'm not anemic. ;-)

**Dark076** brb somebody at the door. pizza delivery? 

**Jack** Nick? What's the word? 

Natalie smiled and typed in a reply. 

> **KNick** It's Nat. I was hoping you could tell me, Jack. You haven't heard from him?

**MamaBear** That's what you get for buying off the rack, 2Fer darling 

**Jack** Not a thing. :-( Probably too soon anyway. 

/ **Dark076 **CHANGE NICK = **HUNTER**

**HUNTER** And one less monster roams the night. 

**MamaBear** Dark, sweetie, that is NOT funny. *slaps Dark076 with a dead trout* 

**HUNTER** Dark has gone to pieces. Who will be next? 

**MessyDrinker** Dark never could hold his booze. 

**HUNTER** Too bad the brave detective is on a snipe hunt. But there's always his pet Renfield, isn't there? 

**Jack** /BOOT HUNTER 

**2FerTues** who's a cop? 

**Jack** OK, everybody OUT! If he got Dark, then he's got Dark's access. You know the drill. Go now. 

**KNick** Jack what's happening? 

**Jack** Nat get out of there! He knows about Nick--about you. Run! 

**HUNTER** TOO LATE 

**HUNTER** TOO LATE 

**HUNTER** TOO LATE 

**HUNTER** TOO LATE 

**HUNTER** TOO LATE 

**HUNTER** TOO LA* 

Without warning the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness. Natalie's heart leapt into her throat as the screen slowly faded, leaving a ghostly image on her retinas. The only sound in the inky darkness was her own ragged breathing, and she forced herself to remain still until her eyes adjusted to the pale illumination coming in through the skylight. After what seemed like hours she could make out the dim shapes of Nick's furniture. _Okay, think. He called me Renfield. That means he thinks I'm one of the bad guys. Talking him down is probably not going to work. That means I need help. _

"No kidding," Natalie whispered to herself, spinning around in the office chair to see the rest of the room. But who could she call? Nick was in New York, and that was it as far as supernatural reinforcements went. Call the cops? They wouldn't believe her, and if they did she'd be dead as soon as the Enforcers showed up, anyway. _Guess it's up to me, then. Come one, come all. Watch as Natalie Lambert saves the day! _

_Right_. Well, she had to try, anyway. Finding the kitchen in the dim light was easy enough. No convenient blow torches or shotguns, but there was a nice, sharp knife on the counter. It was a far cry from the scalpel she usually wielded, but a lot more satisfying right now. Holding it in her right hand, Natalie padded softly toward the door. Her car was right outside. With any luck, she could get there before he finished casing the place, or whatever it was Hunters did before a kill. 

But how could he be in two places at once? The question gnawed at her, but there was no time to worry about it right now. Maybe he didn't work alone. They hadn't thought about that. Flinching at every small creak in the floorboards, Natalie padded quietly toward the door, knife held ready. 

"Come on, come on!" Her whisper sounded very loud in her ears. Nothing had jumped out at her when she opened the door. Now she stood outside, the door a solid and comforting presence at her back, rooting through her purse with her off hand. She fumbled for her car keys, her heart racing. They always knew when you were in a hurry, finding new places to hide at the bottom of your purse. Then car keys were at last in her hand. She breathed a sigh of relief and sprinted for her car. Where to go? Some place with lots of people. The police station? Too hard to explain what's going on. Her office. There were enough people—most of them police officers—going in and out all night that it would make an (hopefully) unappealing target, and no one would comment on her being there on her night off.A shuffling sound made her whirl around before she could get the key in the door. 

A man was standing there, his head tilted quizzically to one side. Whatever she'd been expecting in a Hunter, he wasn't it. No long trench coat, no cross or crossbow, no broad shoulders and powerful build. Could she have made a mistake? 

"Such a pretty Renfield. Master didn't tell me you were pretty." He shuffled forward and she bit back a scream. He was Caucasian and in his mid-thirties, with thinning brown hair and green eyes that peered at her from behind thick glasses. His skin was pasty gray, with dark patches rising along his cheeks and neck. Patches of rot_. "They gave it to me because the guy that did this is dead. Had been for three or four days when he attacked her, as a matter of fact." _She hadn't believed it then, not really. But now… 

"Oh my God." 

Her hand tightened around the knife, but he moved with a blur of speed that was all too familiar. There was a flash of bright agony, and Natalie felt herself slammed against her car, his body pressing hard against her. She took a deep breath, meaning to scream loud enough to wake the dead, and a clammy hand clamped brutally over her mouth. 

"Not just yet, lovely Renfield. You'll have plenty of time to scream later, I promise." His free hand snatched at her blouse, tearing it. "Oh, how you'll scream." The hand on her mouth forced her head backward, making her back arch painfully. Natalie dragged in air through her nose, filling her lungs with the stench of rotting meat. His head dipped toward her neck. 

_You first_. And Natalie shoved the knife, which she somehow miraculously hadn't dropped, deep into his gut. The exultation that came with her successful attack amazed her. She held onto the knife as he pulled away. If he tried again, she'd be ready. 

The man—if you could call him that—staggered back and looked down at the hole in his abdomen with wonder. One dull gray finger prodded the wound. The tip of the finger came back out dark. He drew it to his mouth and licked delicately. 

"Mmmm. Tasty. But not as sweet as yours, I think." He lunged forward, impaling himself on her knife. The whiplash crack of forward momentum slammed her head against the car roof, and she was only dimly aware that he was nuzzling at her exposed neck. Warm liquid trickled down her shoulder and across her chest. There was a loud buzzing in her ears like the sound of florescent lights.

And then the sound of a snarl, frightening but somehow familiar. There was a brief pain as the mouth buried in her shoulder was torn away, and then there was only darkness.

End of Chapter Two


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

After a timeless period the darkness began to fade. Natalie blinked in blurry confusion and raised a hand to her throbbing head. Something had happened. It teased at the edges of her returning consciousness like a bad dream. Had there been a fight? She certainly felt sore, but… The Hunter! She struggled to get up as the room spun slowly around her. 

"Easy, Natalie." An unfamiliar face swam into focus in front of her, followed by the smell of coffee. "Here. Drink this." A warm mug was pressed into her hands and she took it gratefully. It was strong and black, not her favorite, but it did serve to chase the last of the shadows away. Gentle hands helped her into a comfortable sitting position and she risked opening her eyes again. 

Her rescuer was sitting on a low coffee table next to the couch she found herself on, his face a mixture of uneasiness and concern. His face was very pale under shaggy black hair, and there were dark stains on his faded t-shirt and jeans. He was slender and looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He smiled tentatively. 

"Better?" 

"Umm." Her throat felt raw. She tried again. "Yes, much." She risked a quick glance around the room. Nice, upper-middle-class place. If it wasn't for the heavy curtains over the windows, it could have been any home on the west side. "Where am I?" 

"Place belongs to a friend of mine. I didn't dare leave you at Nick's, or try to make it to the Raven before dawn." He tugged wryly at his own torn clothes. "And I wasn't in much shape to fend them off if another one showed up back at my place." He shrugged, and gnawed at one pale knuckle. "I didn't know what else to do, so I brought you here." 

"You did great. I thought I was a goner." He shrugged again and looked away shyly. "Thank you, Jack." 

He started. "How did you know?" 

"Lucky guess. You know who I am, and what's going on. Better I do, apparently." He nodded, then poured something into a dark glass and sipped slowly. "Are you okay?" Those were blood stains on his clothes, and a smear of something even nastier down one cheek. 

"Yeah. I got lucky.But I really don't know much more than you do. It wasn't until I got to Nick's place that I realized what we're dealing with." He rubbed absently at his chest. "Talk about your narrow escapes." 

"I don't understand. I thought that Hunters would work during the day, or at a distance. And I was under the distinct impression that they were human." Nat tucked her feet up under her and tried to get her bearings. None of this was making any sense. "Or at least _alive_." 

He set his glass down and nodded. "They are. Hunters, I mean. But the thing that attacked you wasn't. I've read about them in books, but I've never seen one before. It's like finding out that the boogeyman is real." 

"And any minute now you're going to tell me what _it_ is." Natalie rubbed at the bandage on her neck and left shoulder. On top of everything else she had a killer headache, and it was really putting her nerves on edge. 

Jack didn't seem to notice. "They're called revenants. The legend is that they were created to wipe out the vampire race." He nodded at her look of surprise. "Oh yeah. We prey on humanity, but you guys do pretty well against us, when you get worked up. The Spanish Inquisition. The Crusades. The witch burnings of the seventeenth century. This one, according to legend, is a lot older than any of those." 

"So you're saying that a human did this? I don't know, Jack. The speed and strength of those things really says 'vampire' to me. As does their method of attack." She rubbed at her bandaged wound. The itching seemed to be getting worse. 

"Well, that's part of the legend, too. Supposedly revenants are created using vampire blood. I'm sure the early Church thought it was pretty ironic, using our own blood against us." 

"So they are like you." 

"Please. I have much better personal hygiene. And vampires aren't dead, at least not like these guys are. They rot, as you may have noticed." He wiped at his cheek and grimaced. "Man, I could use a shower. Anyway, they're more like zombies than vampires. Lots of speed and strength, but they don't fly or have fangs, and I'd venture a guess that they don't feel pain. The one that attacked you sure didn't seem to, anyway. It would be nice if they were sensitive to sunlight, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on it." 

"They sound pretty deadly. So why haven't I heard of them before? For that matter, why hadn't Nick?" Natalie shifted on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't set off her stiff and strained muscles. 

"They're just the stuff of legend, nowadays. The little I was able to dig up while you were out I found in some old manuscripts on legends of the early Church. Nothing very detailed, but I did get the impression that the Church put a stop to it in the fourth century or so. Apparently the procedure that makes a revenant involved more than a little black magic, something the Church frowns on almost as much as it does us. The last mention I found of one was in 315. After that, nothing." 

"Until now." Natalie got up off the couch and started to pace. "So somehow someone found out about these things, and how to create them. Could that explain how so many elders were killed so quickly?" 

"Oh yeah. If a Hunter brought two or three revenants with him, and timed his attack for when his victim would be asleep, even an elder wouldn't stand a chance." 

"Clever. Gruesome, but clever. But making one of these things has to require a human being. I just can't see a Hunter being willing to sacrifice a fellow human like that." 

"Then you don't know anything about Hunters. Natalie, they don't care about a little thing like collateral damage. All a Hunter cares about is killing vampires and anyone else who gets in his way. These are not the guys in the white hats." It was the strongest statement he'd made yet. 

"Well, as a member of the feeding pool, I'm not so sure about that. But I guess I can see how someone could lose sight of everything but his goal. Especially if he'd lost someone close to him." Or close to _her_. Belatedly, Natalie remembered that Hunters were more than an intellectual argument at the moment. "Nick needs to know about this. He could be danger." She turned toward the phone, but Jack was there before she could lift the receiver. 

"I already tried. He checked in with a friend of ours in New York, but hasn't been back yet. Piedro will pass on the message." He looked at her with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? You look kind of rocky." 

"Well, it's been a really interesting day." She rubbed at her temples. "I won't deny that. Honestly, I'd love a big painkiller and about ten hours of sleep right now." 

"Probably not a real good idea right now. Settle for a hot shower?" 

### 

"What is it?" Natalie came out of the bathroom, toweling the water from the ends of her hair. The shower had made her feel much better, but she still felt like something the cat had dragged in. Her blouse was a lost cause, but the t-shirt Jack had pulled from his oversized duffle bag fit well enough, though it was a little tighter than she was used to. Jack had looked up from his laptop when she entered the room and was now looking at her intently, an unreadable expression on his face. "See something green?" She shuddered. "Boy, how I wish that was just a joke." 

Jack shook his head, a touch of red coloring his pale cheeks. "It's nothing." He averted his gaze, and turned back toward his laptop. 

"Come on. Give." She sat down carefully on the couch, wincing as her muscles protested. "Ouch. I could use some good news. Or is it bad news? 

"Jack?" 

He swiveled back around to face her, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "It's nothing. It's just…I see what Nick sees in you. Oh, man." He ran a hand through his thick dark hair. "Didn't that come out wrong. I mean, I think I understand why Nick finds you so compelling. I couldn't figure it out, when he told me about you." 

"Well, that certainly makes one of us." Natalie took a sip of lukewarm coffee. "Care to share? I could use a little flattery right now." She gestured at her bruised face ruefully. Looking in the mirror before her shower had easily been the worst thing to happen to her since waking up here. 

Jack shrugged. "Okay, but just so you know, I'm really bad at this kind of thing. I tend to step on my own…tongue. I just meant that you're beautiful." He gestured awkwardly at his head. "Long hair. Beautiful skin. Curves. All that. But…" 

"But?" Nat leaned forward on the couch, ignoring her body's faint protests. How often did you get a look at what a vampire found attractive? Especially if the vampire in question was a certain elusive Nick Knight? 

"But it's more than that. After you've been around a while, you find out that pretty is like, well, like wrapping paper. It looks great. It brightens things up. But in the end it's just, um, paper. Decoration. Itprobably sounds trite, but the real treasure is what's inside." At her look he shrugged. "I told you I'm bad at stuff like this. Look. There are a lot of pretty women out there, okay? And with our gifts we can have one pretty much any time we want. But most of them are weak. Shallow. Airheads. You're not. You're smart, and, even better, you're strong." 

"Oh yeah." Natalie laughed bitterly. "I'm strong, all right. Really wiped the floor with that thing tonight." The memory of its clammy hands and horrible stench made her shudder. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them Jack was kneeling in front of her, staring up at her earnestly. He had green eyes, she saw. Very intense green eyes. 

"Physical strength is _nothing_. The strongest of you is weaker than the least of us. What I'm talking about is inner strength. The thing that keeps us going, and keeps us from becoming real monsters." 

"Inner strength?" 

"Yeah. You have that, Natalie. The strength to keep going, keep trying, even when it looks like all is lost. The strength not to give up on life. I knew it when I first saw you." He touched her hand lightly, then pulled away. "Standing in front of your car, scared to death, but holding that kitchen knife. You didn't scream. You didn't faint. You didn't even try to run. You stood your ground, and you defended yourself." 

"For all the good it did me. If you hadn't come along, that thing would have killed me." 

"Maybe. But there's always something out there that's tougher than us. A bigger guy. An older, more experienced vampire. The sun." He grinned fleetingly. "We haven't figured out a way to beat that one yet. My point is, it's not winning that's important. It's refusing to be beaten." Something flickered in his eyes and the next second he was across the room, hands in his pockets. 

"Anyway, that's all I meant. Don't sell yourself short, Natalie." 

"What do you mean?" Natalie was rubbing at the bandage on her neck and made herself stop. Scratching wouldn't help it heal any more quickly, even if it _did_ itch like crazy. 

"I think you know." 

Did she? Nat wasn't sure. "Jack?" 

"Leave any hot water? I'm going to grab a shower." Without another word her strange savior brushed by her and disappeared down the hall, bulky duffle bag carried easily over one thin shoulder. "I reset the alarm, so don't open any of the outside windows or doors, okay? If you hear anyone at the door, come get me." Not waiting for an answer, he shut the bathroom door, leaving Natalie to ponder what he'd said. 

### 

To her surprise the kitchen was fairly well stocked, and Natalie was able to make a filling (if not very satisfying) lunch of stale crackers and peanut butter, washing it down with more of the almost lethally-strong coffee. At least it would keep her awake; she'd been out for about three hours, by her estimate, and it didn't look like sleep was in the cards anytime soon. She was just finishing when she heard the bathroom door open. 

"Natalie?" 

"In here." Refilling her cup, Natalie walked back into the living room. Jack was toweling his hair, a mundane enough gesture in the middle of all this craziness that she had to smile. 

"Share the joke?" 

"It's nothing. I was just thinking how strange it is to see one of you doing something so…ordinary." 

"When we should be skulking down dark alleys after young virgins, or sleeping in coffins?" He grinned. "Sorry to disappoint you. Though I'd kind of assumed that you and Nick," something on her face made him wave the idea away. "Forget it. Like I said, I suck at people skills. And not in a good way. Give me a computer and I'm a much happier guy. Which reminds me." He dropped the duffle bag on the couch and headed for his laptop. "I figured out how to trace our Hunter while you were in the shower. That's the good news. The bad news," he stopped as she gasped. "What is it?" 

"Your back." He'd put on a white t-shirt after showering, and as he walked past her Natalie saw that the back of it was stained with streaks of bright red. 

"Did I miss one?" He twisted around, trying to see his back, with little success. "Felt kind of sore back there." 

"What happened? I mean, why haven't these healed already?" They were obviously fight injuries, but she'd seen Nick heal from serious wounds within minutes, not hours. 

"Got me." He peeled the shirt off, wincing as it pulled free of the wounds on his back. "Some things, like wood and sunlight, take longer to heal for a few of us, but I've never had a problem." One arm was bandaged, as was a long narrow strip over his heart. 

"And you weren't worried?" Natalie winced at the deep furrows running down both shoulders. They looked like they should hurt like hell. He shrugged and then flinched at the movement. 

"Kind of low on my list right now. If I'm still alive next week and they haven't healed, I'll worry then." 

"Well, at least let me bandage these. Can't have you leaking all over the place, can we?" He nodded, and she came back in a moment with the last of the bandages she'd seen in the bathroom. His offhand comment about surviving the week bothered her, and she had to force her hands to stop trembling as she cleaned and dressed the deep furrows. Both of them were still in danger, something that she'd been trying very hard to keep off of her mind. The idea of one of those things touching her again was enough to make her gorge rise. And then there was Nick. Nick, who was still under the assumption that they were facing a single—and mortal—killer. She could almost imagine him hurt like this, or worse. Hurt, and calling to her. She gestured for him to join her on the couch. 

"You said you had good news and bad news." Natalie ruthlessly put a sock on her all-too-vivid imagination and concentrated on the task at hand. The wounds didn't look infected, but they were deep. Lacking proper sutures, and not sure of how they might interfere with vampire healing anyway, she settled for twisting up a dozen butterfly tapes to hold the wound edges closed. 

"Well, the good news is that I figured out how to trace his on-line movements. The bad news is that he's a lot better at this than I'd have expected, and that he's not a local boy. I didn't get a chance to trace him all the way back, but he's somewhere in the States, that's for sure." 

"Mmm." Nat tried to listen, but more and more she was focused on the blood that coated her fingers while she worked. It smelled strong in her nose, making it hard to think clearly. Which was strange, considering how much she blood she was exposed to daily as a forensic examiner. Her stomach growled, reminding her that all she'd had since eight the night before was a handful of crackers and peanut butter. Focus, Natalie. Focus. 

"…he routed the messages through six different subnets and four ISPs on three continents. Not bad, for a—" 

"Mortal?" Natalie finished icily. The events of the past few hours suddenly came crashing down on her, and she ran a hand through her tangled hair impatiently. Why were they wasting time here? Nick needed her, she was sure of it. She could almost _feel_ him calling to her. Action was what was called for, not more talk. 

"Um, 'Amateur,' actually. If he was someone working in the field, I'd recognize his signature." 

Pulling her attention back to the vampire hacker in front of her, Natalie saw that he had swiveled around to face her, and was now looking at her in concern. Taking a deep breath, she forced her hand away from the bandages on her shoulder, which had come loose. She set both hands calmly in her lap and tried to at least look calm. 

"Sorry. Guess this is just getting to me." 

"No problem. I'm feeling a little fried myself. I can't believe I didn't see this coming. The hacker, I mean. I—" He broke off and stared at her fixedly. At her _neck_. Damn. She'd been sitting next to a vampire—an _injured_ vampire—with an open wound on her neck. How could she have been so stupid? Scooting away from him, Natalie started to reach for her exposed wound, only to realize that her hand was already there, tugging at the loosened bandage. 

"What?" she snapped at him, irritation quickly blending with her initial spurt of fear. He didn't reply. Instead, the slender vampire reached out to her, his hand going unerringly to her exposed neck. A nearly overwhelming desire to prevent this loathsome creature from touching her caused Natalie to jerk away from his hand. At the same time, her rational mind was asking her what in the world was wrong with her. Jack was Nick's friend, had saved her life just last night. In her sudden confusion Nat didn't even see the blur of movement as Jack reached for her again. A single cool finger brushed the edge of the exposed wound and then pulled back, the tip now coated with her blood. 

Her disgust momentarily forgotten, Natalie quickly scooted to the other end of the couch. The shy, gentle man she'd first met was gone. The vampire who now sat across from her held her eyes effortlessly with his own as he slowly brought his finger to his lips. Slowly his tongue reached out to taste the blood there... 

Then he winced and turned his head to spit it out in disgust. With that her momentary paralysis left her, and Nat jumped up off the couch with a start. Her annoyance that he would so frighten her quickly bled into anger, backed by the insistence that Nick was calling for her, that she needed to leave. Now. She hadn't gotten more than a few steps when strong, cool hands grasped her by the arms. 

"Nat. Wait. Listen to me." She didn't quite struggle as the vampire turned her to face him. They were about the same height, and the eyes that met hers were filled with concern and ...guilt? 

"This is my fault. I should have realized, should have known this would happen. Natalie..." he trailed off, and some of her impatience got past her control. 

"What?! What are you talking about? Let me go!" She twisted in earnest this time, but to no avail. He was a lot stronger than he looked. 

"Natalie. Nat! Listen to me! You were bit by a revenant. It's ...making you sick, Natalie. Can you understand me?" 

_Sick. Oh, God_. Involuntarily she flashed back to the night before, to the creature who had sunk its rotting teeth deep into her shoulder. Infection. That must be what was causing her weird mood swings and the fever which now seemed to grip her. Oh God, his _mouth_! His dirty, rotting mouth... Faintly, she tried to explain. 

"Infection. I need, need to sterilize the wound. Alcohol, no of course you don't have any. Aftershave?" Mercifully he released her, following quietly behind her as she staggered drunkenly toward the bathroom. 

"Nat, I don't think--" He was trying to tell her something, but it could wait. First she had to cleanse the wound, get the taint of that awful creature off of her. No rubbing alcohol, no aftershave...what? Think, Natalie! Miraculously, she found a bottle of Listerine under the sink. 'Kills germs', eh? Hands trembling, she unscrewed the top and doused her inflamed neck and shoulder liberally. The sharp pain was amazing, but even through it she could feel the taint flowing through her veins. 

"It's not working," she whispered, her face paling to match Jack's own in the bathroom mirror. Gently he slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the small bathroom. 

"No. The taint's already inside you, Natalie. I doubt that any mortal medicine can help you now." She sat obediently in the chair he led her to and waited passively while he refilled her coffee cup. He waited quietly while she sipped the black liquid, trying to stop the trembling that was sloshing the coffee to and fro in her cup. After a few minutes she finished the cup and set it down carefully. Taking a deep breath she looked up at him. 

"So what do we do now?" 

"I have no idea." The uncertainty on his face made that much evident. 

"You don't know? Oh, come on, Jack. You guys are supposed to be 'supernatural' experts." Taking a deep breath, Natalie forced herself to calm down. _He didn't say there_ isn't _a cure. Keep a lid on it, Natasha_. 

"Me?" Jack grinned ruefully. "I'm not even an expert at _being_ supernatural. You want expert, go talk to the old guys. I'm just a socially-inept hacker who happens to have fangs." 

His wry self-deprecation took the last of the wind out of her sails. "I don't believe that," she said gently. "And neither does Nick." 

"Yeah, well... it doesn't matter right now. I think the first thing we've got to do is see about soaking you in some good old fashioned holy water." 

"Holy water?" Nat asked doubtfully. 

"It's sort of like chicken soup. Probably will help, can't hurt. You got a better idea?" He stood up and frowned, his head tilted to one side. 

"Guess not. It should be dark any time, and then we can--" Natalie stopped with a gasp as Jack suddenly turned and launched himself at her. A second later she was crashing face first into the couch, a loud shattering sound filling her ears. Glass shards fell like rain. She felt his weight rest briefly against her and then he was gone. 

Shoving herself off of the couch, Natalie spun around to see him silhouetted against the dim light flooding in through the smashed front window. He wasn't facing her, but rather the two figures slowly climbing to their feet _inside_ the room. 

"Natalie, get out of here!" His voice held the low rumble she'd heard in Nick's voice on more than one occasion, and she was very glad that rumble wasn't directed at her. The two men who had apparently crashed through the window were back lit, but the stench of them was all too familiar. The taller of the two was sneering at Jack. 

"Time for a rematch, vampire." 

Backing away, Natalie felt a mixture of emotions swirl though her. The biggest—though not by much—was a powerful urge to strike back at the things that terrified her so badly. She had no idea where the knife she'd used before was, but there were several likely candidates in the kitchen. She started to back up toward the kitchen door, and nearly missed the sudden whoosh of movement from the second man. 

"Miss us, Renfield?" He stopped within arm's reach. His face was a horror, made worse by the mad intelligence shining in his milky eyes. He reaches for her with bony, green-tinged hands. 

"Oh God." Lunging backward, Natalie knocked over a lamp and fell awkwardly to the floor. Scrambling to her feet, Nat began to back away slowly even as the taint in her blood called insistently for her to join them...

End of Chapter Three


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"None of that, now." The revenant's voice was wet and gravelly, but with a cultured edge that somehow made it all the worse. This was no "Night of the Living Dead" mindless monster, but a thinking, planning creature. "Master says you must be brought back to him intact, but he didn't say anything at all about still breathing. Be a nice little Renfield and come quietly." A knowing smile spread unevenly across his dead face. "You know you want to." 

"You don't know anything about me!" He didn't. She was sick, that's all. Infected. Nothing at all like this diseased monstrosity in front of her. Over his shoulder she could see Jack toss the second revenant across the room to crash into the glass bookshelves there. It got to its feet with no grace but an alarming amount of speed. Jack snarled, exposing sharp white fangs, then launched himself at the monster. 

Monster? Who was the monster? Revenants had no say in what they were. In fact, they had been created to defend humanity. Defend it from the leeches that preyed on innocent humans. Vampires were the true monsters. Killing for food. For _sport_. They had _forced_ the Church to create the revenants, hadn't they? She smiled as the revenant caught the vampire in mid air and slammed him down through the coffee table. Wood shards flew everywhere. Had it been enough? No, the monster was stirring, infernal eyes glowing. 

"Yes." A cold hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Now you see, little sister." 

She did. Her hands clenched into claws, eager to rend and tear. She took a step forward, her stomach growling. Growling? That was strange. She'd just eaten, hadn't she? Halfway across the room the revenant slashed across the vampire's abdomen and blood flew. Her stomach contracted painfully at the sight. Confused, she looked down at her own belly. Was she ill? An instant later something slammed into her, throwing her to the floor. 

"Natalie, are you all right?" The weight disappeared and a second later there was the sound of breaking glass. "Why are you still here?" 

_Natalie, are you all right?_ Nick's face, swimming up through the confusion in her mind. Nick, so warm and kind. How many times had he said those words? And now Jack, who she hadn't even known a day ago. Both vampires. Both…monsters? 

"_No_. I mean, yes, I'm okay, Jack." She shuddered, wanting to cry, vomit, and scream all at the same time. What was happening to her? 

"Then get out of here. I can't protect you. Get to sunlight. To people." The vampire she'd so loathed a moment ago was still apparent in his face, but the words were ones of warm concern. He was trying to protect her. Natalie struggled to her feet, her mind reeling. She tried to cry out a warning, but couldn't make her voice work as the revenant who'd attacked him grabbed Jack and swung him around. "Go!" he cried out. Then both were flying across the room and she was alone. 

Almost. The revenant who had spoken to her before now gripped her arm. "Time to go, dearie. Amos will be done with the boy before long, but my master is very eager to meet you. Shall we?" He pulled on her arm, half-dragging her toward the kitchen. She let him take her halfway across the large kitchen before she reached out and grabbed hold of the stainless steel island in the center of the room. 

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Horrible, alien thoughts still swam thought her head, but Natalie knew that they weren't hers. The revenant pulled with more force and she bit back a cry as her torn shoulder protested, but she didn't let go. He bared his teeth in a gesture of frustration and she had a second to wonder how she could ever have felt kinship with the thing before she was thrown against the sink countertop. Porcelain bit painfully into her side and she struggled to take a breath. 

"I beg to differ. It's good to see a girl with spunk, but this has gone on too long." He ducked and the ceramic bowl she'd thrown at him went harmlessly over his head. "Time to go, Renfield." 

"Stop calling me that!" She threw everything on the countertop at the thing, but it kept coming. Natalie found herself backed into a corner as the revenant slowly approached. It was a little wary now, and seemed to be keeping a close eye on her right hand--her throwing hand. Resting that hand on the counter where he could see it, Natalie opened a drawer at random and pawed through it frantically. A flamethrower would be too much to ask for, but a meat cleaver would be nice. "You know, I'm just the sort of person to carve up a dead guy like you," she warned, gesturing at him with her right hand. Her left hand identified a screwdriver, rubber bands, a small tin of some liquid, a pair of scissors, a lighter. _Wait a minute. Back up_. Hazy memories of her grandfather. He'd smoked cigars, and used a lighter like this one. The tin felt familiar, too. Grandfather had used something like it, warning her to stay away while he filled his lighter_. His lighter. Lighter fluid_! 

Trying to keep her expression terrified, Natalie struggled to pop the top off the canister of what she prayed was lighter fluid. Vampires could be hurt by fire, and Nick, at least, had shown some aversion to it even when not directly threatened. Even if there wasn't enough to do the revenant serious injury, there might be enough to distract it long enough for her to make it out the rear door. The kitchen opened into the homes' backyard. She was willing to bet she could still scale a six foot fence, given enough incentive, and nothing beat a shambling zombie when it came to incentive. She got a little fluid onto her fingers, but at last the tin was open. Trying to hold it upright, Natalie scooped up the lighter as well with a little difficulty. There was a loud thud from the next room, and then silence. 

"There, you see? It's done. Now come along, Renfield." He extended one pale, mottled hand. Natalie reached out with her right as if to take his. His gaze shifted downward just a little. Saying a quick prayer, Nat swung her left hand up and around and squeezed. 

It couldn't have gone any better. The beginning of the stream caught his extended hand and arm, then spattered onto his chest. Her left arm arched upward, and the rest of the fluid shot directly onto his face and hair. He clawed at his eyes, mostly in surprise, she thought. The hands came down almost immediately and he glowered at her hatefully. He opened his mouth and she struck the flint of the lighter. Bringing her arm back down, Natalie tossed the lighter at the revenant. 

The fluid caught with an almost soundless _whoosh_ of rushing air and the revenant screamed, staggering backward and slapping wildly at the growing flames. The movement only made the fire grow more quickly. In an instant he was a torch, arms waving wildly about his head as he careened blindly around the room, shrieking. 

"Natalie!" 

It was Jack, standing in the doorway to the living room. He looked he'd been on the losing end of a fight with a threshing machine, but smiled reassuringly as he gestured for her to join him. Taking one longing glance at the back door, Natalie edged carefully around the revenant and joined him. Together they watched as the revenant fell to its knees, keening softly. A moment later it fell forward and lay still on the tile floor. 

"Come on." Taking her hand, Jack pulled her gently down the hall into the master bedroom. "The cops'll be here any minute." Releasing her hand, he opened the closet door and shoved aside a rack of neatly pressed suits. "George is going to be so pissed. Want to bet he never leaves me his key again?" Not waiting for an answer, he knelt and felt around on the thick shag carpet. There was a muted click, and part of the closet floor lifted upward. Jack pulled it up the rest of the way, revealing a dimly-lit passageway, complete with ladder. "You first." 

Natalie looked doubtfully into the hole. The light from the room lit only the first six feet or so of the passage. Going down that ladder would be like descending into a strange (and possibly dangerous) cave. 

"It's okay. This is George's bolt hole. It'll open up into the sewers. I think." 

"You think? That's not very reassuring." Holding onto the door frame, Natalie stepped gingerly onto the first rung of the ladder. It held her weight without shifting, and she began to descend it, hoping that she was doing the right thing. 

"Well, George and I never got around to the details." He waited until she was down several feet and then stepped onto the ladder himself. The darkness around her was close and stale. A few more steps down and Jack pulled the door down behind them and the darkness was complete. 

"Jack!" 

"It's okay. Any second now…" he paused, and dim lights appeared along the wall of the tunnel at regular intervals. "Thought so. George doesn't like the dark very much." 

"A vampire who doesn't like the dark?" Anything to keep her mind off what had just happened, and what was still happening. Though the revenant was gone, the hungry, restless thoughts still prowled through her mind, telling her that she was a fool to trust the vampire, any vampire. Which was crazy. Some vampires could be trusted. Nick, for one. Nick would never do anything to harm her. She was sure of it. 

"Even we need a little light to see," Jack explained. "We're as blind as you are in pitch black. One reason why I've never understood why some guys like crypts and coffins. Yuck." The easy, casual discussion soothed her frayed nerves. "George got locked in somebody's crypt for a week. No light, no sound. He's been a little spooked ever since. So I kind of figured that even his emergency exit would be well lit." 

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." The light was reassuring, but not much more than that. She could see only a few feet past her shoes, and could barely make out Jack's face above her. 

"That's because you don't have our eyes. To me, this is as bright as day." He chuckled. "Well, not that bright. Hasn't struck me blind yet. You'd better slow down. We should be coming to the sewer pipe soon." 

"I think I can smell it." Dank, slightly foul-smelling air drifted upward toward her. In the silence Nat could hear the trickle of water. "Not the way he usually travels, I take it." The suits in the closet had been of the thousand dollar variety. 

"Nope. This is strictly an emergency affair. For when they guys with the torches and pitchforks come calling." 

Her foot sought the next rung and found only air. "I think this is it." 

"The floor is only about five feet below. Think you can drop that far, or do you want a hand?" 

Dropping into blackness and landing on unforgiving cement was more that her poor body could take at the moment, Natalie knew. She'd gotten their vile thoughts, but apparently not their strength or immunity to pain. Like just wasn't fair, sometimes. "I'm not sure that's a good idea right now. Would you mind?" 

"Catching the fair maiden? Not a chance." Nat felt the rush of air on her back at Jack let go of the rungs and dropped past her to the cement below. Her ears barely caught the sound of his quiet landing. "Just let go. I'll catch you." 

Before her mind had a chance to object her body took over and let go of the rungs. A brief rush of cool air and Natalie felt cool, strong arms around her. He set her carefully on her feet and then stepped away, looking up and down the narrow corridor while she adjusted her clothes and patted vainly at her tangled hair. 

"This looks like part of the Danforth Street subsidiary. If I remember right, going west should take us out near the High Park subway station." 

"And from there?" _Run_, her mind whispered. _Run to him_. She knew now that it wasn't Nick that had been calling, but it no longer seemed to matter. 

"There's a hideout near there that should give us some time. I need to find a safe place to put you, Nat. This fight has gotten way out of your league." 

"Hey, I'm _in_ this fight, remember? And I've done all right so far!" Anger rushed through her, and she couldn't have said which part was hers and which the infection if her life had depended on it. "Don't you dare talk to me like, like…" _Nick_, her traitorous mind suggested. Nick, who tried so hard to keep dear sweet Natalie from knowing more than she should. Nick knows best, Natalie. He'll keep you safe. And safely ignorant. 

"Easy, easy." Jack was looking at her warily. "I'm not trying to talk down to you. But you're just, well, you're a _mortal, _Nat. With a mortal's strength. Believe me, if you've got any suggestions on how to cap these guys and find their master, I'm all ears." 

"And who was it that said that strength is nothing? I—oh, forget it." The anger disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and she managed a faint smile. "Let's find this hideout of yours. And then we need to talk." 

### 

The sewer pipe had gone from narrow to downright small, and it was a relief to be able to stand upright again. Natalie stretched and took a deep breath. She'd never thought she would find subway air pleasant, but after the sewers it was like a breath of fresh spring air. Beside her, Jack was looking around carefully. There were a couple of dozen people standing around waiting for the next train, but no one seemed to be paying any particular attention to them. He nodded, and gestured for her to follow him. 

At the edge of the station Jack took another look around and then jumped down into the tunnel. Carefully avoiding the tracks, he gestured for her to follow. Too tired to object, Natalie did so, and was caught by the waist and lowered easily to the ground. They walked a few paces and then Jack stopped, frowning. 

"It should be right here. Ah. Here it is." He reached down and pulled an old metal ring. A heavy metal grating gave way, and he leveraged it up high enough for her to slip beneath it. He followed a moment later, letting the grating fall shut with a heavy metal clang. 

They were in a narrow passageway that lead to an even narrower doorway. Both looked decades old and unmaintained, but the door opened soundlessly when Jack turned the knob. He poked his head in and then gestured for her to follow him in. 

The room was about ten foot square, with metal shelving along one wall that had nearly rusted away completely and a wooden file cabinet that she wouldn't have leaned against on a bet. Several old and ratty-looking blankets lie crumpled on the stone floor, and on one of them an old man lay shivering. Jack nodded to the old man and kicked some of the unused blankets away, then gestured for Natalie to join him as he slid to the bare floor, his back to the wall. 

"It's okay. No one knows about this place but us. The Community, I mean." Natalie nodded wearily and leaned against the wall, letting it support her as she slid to the floor. 

"What about him?" She nodded at the old man, who was watching them with too-bright eyes. 

"He's one of us." 

The old man cackled. "Oh I am, so I am! Not that many would claim membership in any club that I was a member of." He sniffed, and when he smiled again there were fangs in it. "Say, boy. You got any to spare? I haven't had anything so sweet since the summer of forty-nine. Or was it fifty-two? I forget." He was looking at Jack with a mixture of hope and greed. 

"Back off." Jack still looked entirely human, but the warning was unmistakable. With a start Natalie realized that the old man hadn't been asking for spare change. 

"Okay, Okay. Be like that. Time was, everybody pulled together. Now it's all me, me, me. Why, when I was…" Still muttering to himself, the old man rolled over, pulling his collection of blankets tight around his shoulders. 

Jack saw her surprised expression and grinned. "Yeah, we're not all handsome police detectives. Or even high-paid computer geeks." 

"That's kind of reassuring, somehow. So this is a vampire hideout?" 

He nodded. "The closest one I could think of. I'm sure there are nicer ones, but I haven't been in the city all that long. This ought to keep us safe enough for a while. Though I'd feel better if I knew how they found us at George's." 

Natalie found herself rubbing at her inflamed neck wound and made herself stop. "Could the Hunter have traced us through your computer? I mean, he found you at your place, didn't he?" 

"Well, _somebody_ found me there. Whoever it was didn't bother knocking, and after what I'd just seen on screen I wasn't in the mood to go see for myself." 

"Oh, Jack. All of your work," Natalie said sympathetically. 

"Maybe not. I had time to set the security protocols. Anyone who tries to hack in will be in for an unpleasant surprise." He sighed. "But, yeah, I'm looking at lots of down time if they just trashed the place. Don't think that's how they found us, though." 

"Why not?" The restlessness was getting stronger, as was the feeling that Nick--or someone--needed her, was calling to her. 

"I underestimated him once. But there's maybe a handful of people in the world who are better at sneak than I am when I set my mind to it, and even I couldn't have traced us in the time he had." 

"Maybe he's better," she said lightly. He responded to her light teasing with a smile of his own. 

"Not a chance, he said modestly." Jack grinned. "I may bite at social stuff, but when it comes to computers I'm about the best there is. Though, speaking of that…" Something shifted in his eyes and then was gone. 

"You need to feed." 

"Yeah. I'm okay right now, but I can't heal this kind of damage without a little help." He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "And I have a bad feeling this is just getting started." 

"Well, I'd offer, but…" She tried to make a joke of it and failed. It would be ironic to survive two revenant attacks only to be drained and killed by her 'rescuer.' 

"Yeah, probably not a good idea right now. I'm just too damned weak to have enough control. Be a poor repayment on Nick's friendship to kill his girlfriend." 

"And I wouldn't feel too good about it myself," Nat added dryly. Something about what he'd just said had peaked her interest, but she was too tired and confused to figure out what. 

"Go figure. Anyway, don't worry about it. I've gone a lot longer than this on low rations. Good thing George was so well stocked, though. What we need to do is figure out what we're going to do next. You sounded like you had some ideas." 

"Actually, no," Nat admitted. "I just can't stand the idea of being left out. Nick, well, let's just say I've been left in the dark a lot. And this _does_ concern me directly, you know." The infection or whatever it was, was growing worse. And she was rubbing at her neck again. Natalie jerked her hand away and sat on it. "Even if it didn't, it would be a poor repayment on my part to leave you all alone in this after all you've done for me. Or is there someone else you can call?" 

"The Vampire Reinforcements? Nope, afraid not. I've only been in Toronto about a year, and, as you might have guessed, I don't make friends that easily. George and Nick are about it, and George is out of town on some sales trip." And Nick was who-knows-where, he didn't have to add. Somewhere along the way she'd lost her purse and cell phone, so she'd have no idea if--no, _when_-- he did call. 

"There is a nightclub. The Raven. I should probably give them a call, warn them that there's a Hunter around. Doubt that anyone there would help out of the kindness of his heart, though." 

Janette sprung immediately to Natalie's mind, but then again Janette wasn't wild about her. Natalie had gotten the distinct impression that the French vampire didn't approve of their search for a cure. And Nat thought there was a hint of jealously there, too. No, Janette wouldn't be the one to call on. 

"Well, we've done all right so far," Natalie said. "Guess it's just you and me, partner." She offered him her hand, and Jack shook it formally. At his touch waves of nausea and hunger flooded her senses. Natalie snatched her hand free and stood up on trembling legs. There was a roaring in her ears, and her stomach bent in on itself in insistent demand. The hunger became all she could feel, all she could think of. From far away she heard someone whimper, and then there was a gust of sour air as someone rushed by her. In the next instant she was in the passageway, snarling wordlessly as she chased after her prey. 

She nearly had him at the grate, where he had to take the time to shove it out of the way before fleeing into the station. In the end all she had was a piece of rotted cloth and the enticing scent of fear. Vampire fear. She pulled herself up easily, her eyes following her fleeing prey with no difficulty. He hadn't leapt up onto the station walkway, but was running down the tunnel. She cut the distance between them easily. A moment later she had him by the filthy shirt and he was falling, narrowly avoiding the potent third rail. Natalie stood over him, savoring the moment. In another second the terrible hunger would be sated. She would bathe in his blood, tear his flesh with her teeth. She would— 

Rough hands spun her around. Someone was speaking, but more interesting was the smell of this new prey. Younger, fresher, without the taint of blood cut with cheap wine. She bared her teeth, growling. This one was faster, and avoided her biting attack. Hands shifted to her head and she lashed out with her own hands, wanting the tender meat so close to the surface. 

"Natalie!" An unwelcome presence forced itself into her awareness. Green eyes stared into hers, compelling her attention. "Natalie, listen to me! _Listen to me_." The last had the sound of command. She knew about commands. About power. Her hands stilled their attack. 

"This isn't you, Nat. _This isn't you_. You can fight it. Do you hear me, Nat?" 

"Mm--mmm, I, I can't," she whispered. "It's too strong." There was wetness on her cheeks, and her vision trebled. "It's too strong, Jack! Get away from me before I hurt you." Something inside her gleefully looked forward to it. 

"And I thought I'd be the one saying that. Now, listen, Nat. You can fight this. It doesn't have to beat you. Remember what I said? You're strong. Stronger than this. Don't let him win, Natalie." 

"You don't understand. It's gotten so strong—" Her hands clutched at him without strength. Her whole being trembled with dark need. She hung onto her awareness by the thinnest of fingernails. 

"I don't? Natalie, this is what we all go through. What we go through _every day_. And you're as strong as any of us." His grip on her head was gentle now, as was his voice. "Stronger than most. You can do it, Nat. I know you can." 

The black urge to rend and tear swept over her again and she cried out as if in pain. It was pain, of a sort: a need so intense that to refuse it caused physical agony. But Jack was right. It was an outside thing. Something that struggled to cover her will, her mind, with its own. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The hunger was still there, as was the insistent beckoning. But she was there, too. Natalie Lambert. Healer, not killer. 

"Okay." It was barely a whisper, but at her words Jack released her head and drew her into his arms. She went readily, weeping.

End of Chapter Four


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"You're sure you're okay?" Jack watched skeptically as Natalie wiped at her tear-streaked face with a scrap of material from her t-shirt. "We could go back to the hideout, rest up a little." Jack looked about as rocky as she felt, and she shook her head with real regret.

"I don't think I have that long. Whatever this infection, curse, or whatever is, it's getting stronger, Jack. If I don't do something now, I…" she trailed off, blinking fiercely to clear the tears from her eyes. There had been enough of those already. "How do I look?" She sniffed and held her face up for inspection

"Like hell." He held the sober expression for a few seconds before it dissolved into a grin. "And beautiful. Though I'd say you'll need to change before attending the ball, Cinderella." 

"Well, I could certainly use a fairy godmother about now. Anything, to take away this _hunger_." She rubbed her arms with her hands, unable to meet his eyes. "I can't imagine dealing with this every day." She managed a small laugh. "I think I owe Nick a _big_ apology."

"Well, I might have exaggerated a little," Jack conceded. "Not a lot, mind you. But it does get easier, with time." The strained, haunted look in his eyes told her a different story. "But yours I think we can cure. I've been thinking." He bit his lip, frowning. "The holy water thing might not work at all. You didn't make the choice to come across like we did, and if it is some kind of vampire blood running through your veins, it's a damned weak strain. The little I've read about black magic suggests that a curse is dependent on the strength of the caster. If we can kill the Hunter, we _should_ break the curse."

"Something we were kind of planning on anyway," Natalie added. "Do you really think that could work? I have to tell you, the doctor in me really has a hard time with the whole 'curse' thing."

"Call it 'psychic influence'," Jack suggested. "Or a retrovirus with a built-in homing beacon. Whatever this thing is, our Hunter is the key." He rubbed his chin. "Which brings us back to our original problem. How do we find him?"

"I think I know." She shivered, rubbing her hands on her upper arms. "I can still feel him, Jack. Feel him calling for me. Part of me wants to go, and I think that somehow that's even worse than the hunger. He's so _strong_."

"So are you. But are you sure, Nat? If you let your guard down enough to track him, you risk losing control. And I have to tell you, it just keeps getting harder and harder to get that control back."

"Which is why you've been standing over there ever since I stopped having hysterics."He'd held her, soothing her the way you would a frightened child, until she began to regain control over her emotions. Then he'd released her, and had stayed safely out of arm's reach ever since.

"You got it. Like I said before, if I wasn't already on the ragged edge, no problem. But you are beautiful, and I am so damn tired. And hungry. And sore as hell. My losing control right now would be a very bad thing, trust me." He leaned back against the stone support and closed his eyes.

"I was about to say the very same thing." Sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh or cry. At her first soft chuckle Jack opened his eyes, and after a moment he joined her.

"We're a regular Bonnie and Clyde, aren't we, 'partner'?" He touched her cheek fleetingly and then turned to walk toward the platform. After a few paces he stopped and turned to look back at her. "You ready?"

_No. I want to go home. I want to wake up and find that this has been a terrible nightmare. I want Nick to hold me in his arms and tell me everything will be okay. I want…_

_I want to live_. "Let's go."

###

"Anything?" Natalie stuffed another piece of the candy bar into her mouth and forced herself to chew. It was a Payday, her favorite, but today it tasted like ashes. She swallowed the bite with difficulty and looked expectantly at Jack. He had hung up the receiver and was now standing in front of the pay phone, apparently lost in thought. Natalie waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"Hellooo. Earth to Jack. Come in."

He blinked and seemed to come back to himself. "Piedro hasn't heard from him."

Natalie had taken another bite, and was forced to spit it out as her mouth went as dry as cotton. "But Nick was supposed to be back by daybreak. That was ten hours ago."

"Yeah. He could have gotten caught by dawn and had to hole up somewhere else, but," he ran a hand through his shaggy hair, "it doesn't feel like him."

"Well, Nick's pulled disappearing acts before," Natalie said with a sigh. "But I agree, this seems a little out of character, even for him. Maybe he's just hiding out in somebody's trunk. Nick loses track of time, sometimes. Maybe he just couldn't get back to this Piedro's place before dawn."

"Maybe. But there's something else." He waited until a group of laughing teenagers went by, then continued. "There's been another death. The dead guy was apparently a big wheel in the local Community. One of his children found parts of him scattered all over his apartment."

"But the Hunter is here! Believe me, I'm real sure of that." The insistent call was still there, kept from the surface of her thoughts only by an exhausting effort of will.

"Yeah. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe there's more than one. Maybe the Church has decided to get back into the vampire hunting business."

"No," Natalie said immediately. "I can't believe that the Catholic Church would have any part of something like this."

"Tell that to the poor bastards who died in the Crusades." There was an edge of bitterness to Jack's voice that she hadn't heard before.

"Someone you knew?" How strange, even after knowing Nick for all these months, to talk to someone who'd seen history first hand.

"Way before my time. But I've talked to a couple of survivors. As far as human killers go, the Church has had some of the best." He shrugged. "But you didn't ask for a history lesson. All Piedro could tell me was that the guy was killed in the same way as the others, and at roughly the time you got jumped at Nick's."

"So there are two."

"Yep. And, believe it or not, that's not the only bad news. Piedro says that the Enforcers have shown up. And once they found out that Nick was in town, they got real interested in him. He's isolated himself from the Community, made no bones about not liking the night life, and started hanging around with the food supply." He grinned, as if to show that no insult was intended. "Which makes Nick a likely turncoat, in their eyes."

"What about his cell phone?" _Damn it, Nick_. How many times had she sat around, waiting and hoping that he was okay? It would be just like him to have gotten so involved in his case that he forgot all about her. Them. Forgot all about them.

"All I get is a 'this phone is not in service at this time' message. Which means we've got zero ways to trace him through it."

"It could just mean that he forgot to charge it again." _Unreliable, untrustworthy vampires_, whispered something in the back of her head. If the vampire Community was still that important to Nick—after all the time they'd spent trying to free him of all that—then he could just save himself. Or not. She swallowed convulsively, trying to get the bad taste out of her mouth.

"Or that it got broken somehow," Jack agreed. The worry in his eyes said what she was already thinking. If the Hunter hadn't gotten to Nick, then the Enforcers very well could have. Nick was tough, but so, apparently, were the other victims.

"Maybe we should go to New York," Natalie suggested, her chest tightening with dread while at the same time some nasty thing inside her chortled at Nick's possible (probable?) fate. "Nick doesn't know anyone there, and he doesn't know what's been happening here. Maybe we could find a way to help."

"And by the time we got there, you'd be fighting for the other team."

"Jack!"

"You know it's true. Look at you. You can barely keep a rational conversation going now. What's it going to be like in a few hours?"

"It shows that much?" Natalie leaned back against the cement wall and closed her eyes. "You're right. I feel like I'm fiddling on somebody's roof about now. The slightest wrong move, and I'm going to come crashing down, and God help anyone in the way. If you're smart, Jack, you'll get out of town while you still can."

"If I don't clear my name of these murders, I'm as good as dead anyway. Besides, how could I leave you behind?" There was something in his slight smile that she couldn't read through the clamor in her head. "I promised Nick I'd keep an eye on you. I may not have many friends, but I do try to keep the ones I have."

"But—"

"So that's settled. You ready to press on?"

"I guess. No, wait. You were going to call the Raven."

"I did. You were in the bathroom, doing whatever it is you women do in there."

"Must have been a short conversation." No makeup, no hair brush, and only harsh, gritty public restroom soap had made her attempt to look respectable a crashing failure. She'd settled for washing her hands and face and tying back her wildly tangled hair with a rubber band she'd found. It wasn't pretty, but it was quick.

"Unfortunately. I got through to the owner, but as soon as she heard who I am she shut me down. My bet is that the Enforcers were there, or had just left. I did tell her about you and Knight, but neither of us wanted to talk about where you and I are right now. Revenants and Enforcers on our tails might be more than even Bonnie and Clyde could handle."

Natalie sighed. "At least Nick will know we're alive, if he calls Janette. And he probably will." Despite her own best efforts, the French vampire still had a powerful hold on Nick. It wasn't jealousy on her, Natalie's, part. It was just that Janette never failed to remind Nick of his own life, and all the…things…they had shared. Nick needed to put all of that behind him if he was ever to become human again. Honestly, Natalie had no reason at all to be jealous of that dark haired, pale skinned little…

"Nat." Pulling herself back to the present, Natalie nearly stumbled as Jack dragged her toward a waiting subway train. "Come on. You're sure he's north of us?"

"Yeeesss. But I don't know how far, Jack. He could be a block or a mile away." She let him lead her onto the train.

"So we get off at the next stop if we have to." Looking over his shoulder, Jack urged her to the center of the train. The doors closed behind them and they began to pull away from the station. After a minute Jack relaxed and released his grip on her arm, but his face remained pale and set. "Man, I hate these things. Too crowded."

"So what was the rush?" It wasn't the Hunter, she was sure of that. He was somewhere up ahead, calling to her.

"Remember what I said a minute ago? About our…infernal affairs guys?" Natalie nodded, her eyes widening. "I caught the feel of one. Well, two, I think. Coming down the stairs into the station. And if I could feel them you can bet they knew I was there." He grinned tiredly. "I should be the one warning you off. They're after me, not you."

"Come on, Clyde." Holding her dark impulses down with both mental hands, Natalie took Jack's arm and gave it a little squeeze. "I'd say we're the most popular people in town at the moment. Sought after by all the most influential people. How could I break up something like that?"

His grin widened. "Bonnie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

###

"Here. We need to get off here." Natalie pushed against the train doors, then slapped at them in exasperation when they failed to open. "Jack, we need to get off here! We're passing him by." She hit the stubborn door with one fist and blinked in surprise as a network of cracks spread outward in the Plexiglas panel beneath her hand. There was a low whistle from somewhere in the car and then a soft babble of voices that made her realize how quiet the car had gotten. A hand closed over her wrist.

"Nat. We can't get off here. The Toronto transportation people aren't big on impromptu stops for their subway trains." She tried to pull free, and couldn't. She could _feel _him, getting further and further away. "Come on. Sit back down. We'll get off at the next station."

"I don't want to wait! I want to find him. Now." She spat the words out through gritted teeth. Why couldn't anyone understand? How stupid were they?

"Nat, you're scaring the straights. Come on." He slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her back to her seat. "We'll get off at the next stop. It's only about half a click away. He's not going to lose us." The pressure of his arm was the only thing that kept her in her seat. She wanted to pace. Better yet, to pull the emergency brake and get out of this damned train _right now_.

"He's getting away," she said, explaining as if to a retarded child.

"No he's not. Now, tone it down, Natalie. You're losing it."

"Am I?" Natalie closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples. She had a raging headache, and the dim but certain conviction that she was surrounded by slow-witted sheep. "God, this is hard."

"Tell me about it." He released her shoulders and settled back into his seat as the train began to slow. His face had taken on the narrow, angular look that Nick had when her favorite detective had been abstaining for too long. "Let's get out of here before we both decide on a hot lunch."

###

It wasn't what she had expected. The insistent, nearly overpowering pull had led her, not to some fancy condo or a house on the hill, but to an abandoned, broken-down warehouse. Not exactly where the rest of Toronto's power elite lived. Then the sour reek of decomposing flesh hit her, cramping her stomach, and Natalie understood. Powerful he certainly was, but this Hunter would need more than a spacious backyard to hide the smell of what _he_ was cooking.

"Get back." Jack pulled her back into the alleyway, and after a moment a uniformed guard shuffled by. He didn't look far gone, and to someone outside the field might have passed for a living man. But he wasn't, and Nat held her breath until he had passed them by and rounded the corner of the fenced yard. Only then did she let out a slow breath and relax her tight shoulders.

"Well, I'd say we've come to the right place," she said. "So, what's the plan?"

"Plan? I thought you had one." Jack was leaning against the other wall of the narrow alley, his gaze never leaving the warehouse. It was dark out, with only a sliver of moon in the sky, but she could see him clearly.

"Hey, I'm just the bloodhound. So to speak," she added dryly. "You're the one with centuries of experience in this stuff, not me."

"Well, two centuries, anyway. And I've got to admit, I've never run into anything quite like this." He sniffed, then wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Lots of dead stuff in there, but I'm not picking up any revenants except for the guy outside. Maybe he's run out."

"So few?" Nat asked dubiously. "Somehow I thought he'd have more."

"Me, too. Maybe he'd got them out cruising for us. Or maybe he sent them somewhere else." He'd turned to look at her, and now turned away, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.

"Like New York." Where Nick still hadn't checked in, drat the man.

"The thought did occur. It would explain how the attacks in two cities could happen so close together, but I can't imagine him having that good of control over that kind of distance. These don't strike me as being that big on independent thought."

"You're right." Natalie sighed in relief. The idea of these things getting on a plane to New York was ludicrous. Nick was safely aware from the Hunter.

"Of course, it might be possible to get them to obey someone else."

"Thanks, Jack. You really know how to cheer a girl up." At his blank look she smiled tiredly. Nick would have to take care of himself. "Forget it. So, what's next?"

"I want to go inside and take a look around. Maybe find some evidence of how he's been tracking the dead elders. If he's in there alone, I should be able to take him." He nodded decisively, but there was doubt on his face.

"I so know you're not going to tell me to wait outside," Natalie warned the dark-haired vampire.

"Not a chance. You're going in with me. Once we know where he is, I want you to get behind him. If he spots me before I reach him, you'll be the distraction. Knock over some boxes, scream, do the hokey pokey, whatever."

"Hot him with a really, really big stick." Natalie gestured as if holding a baseball bat. 

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, but it's up to you. Just remember, he's not going to see you as one of the good guys, even if you are mortal. You're then enemy. Or maybe a pet. You do _not_ want to be captured by this guy, Nat."

"No kidding." Natalie shivered, partly in response to the idea of being this creep's plaything, but more from sheer effort. It was so hard to resist his call, even while she flinched away in disgust from what he—and she—wanted. Unable to completely rid herself of the violent imagery, Natalie focused on how good it would feel to cave in the Hunter's head with her old Louisville Slugger. _But would it feel as good as bathing in the vampire's blood? Or eating his heart?_ She bit her lip until she tasted her own blood. _No. Anything but that. _

"You ready?" Jack asked. He looked nervous, which was somehow comforting. He was counting on her. Needed her. She nodded, forcing down her own fear.

"Let's do this."

End of Part Five


	6. Chapter Six

Part Six

The smell of the warehouse was somehow familiar, almost comforting in a weird sort of way. Natalie paused, trying to sort out why. The air was stale and dry, with enough dust on everything to make sneezing a distinct—and potentially disastrous--possibility. But under than was…

"Death." Jack was standing at the door of their small room, looking out into the darkness beyond. "I'd say we came to the right place."

Fresh air wafted in, carrying the smell she'd only faintly detected before. It was the smell of the recently dead. Familiar because of her career, evoking memories of her safe, brightly-lit offices.

And evoking something else, as well. With a painful gasp Natalie doubled over as a cramp seized her stomach. But not one born of nausea. This was _hunger_.

"I don't think I can do this, Jack." It was hard to get the words out, harder still to keep her eyes averted from an even tastier meal than that which scented the air: the creature walking toward her, his voice filled with false concern. It would be child's play to tear out his throat, releasing the sweet flood that would sooth all her pain and make her strong and whole.

"Natalie?" Cool hands on her shoulders, cool breath against her cheek. Her hands clenched into claws.

"Natalie, look at me." The monster was trying to use his powers against her. One hand touched her chin, drawing her face up toward his. Some traitorous part of herself sent her eyes upward to meet his. They were only blue eyes, after all, a color of the human it pretended to be. His voice in her head brushed against the force of her own will and was gone.

"Nat." Hands on her face, preventing her from looking away as the blue eyes began to change. They went from blue to gold, like the last traces of pre-dawn night fading before the onslaught of the sun. Her hunger redoubled and she snarled and snapped at the face just out of reach.

"Nat. Listen to me. Remember what I told you. No one can control you unless you let them. You're strong. Brave. You can beat this. _You can beat it, Natalie_." Now the voice inside her heard wasn't a whisper but a shout. It overwhelmed her, confused her. From somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a scream.

_You are not me_. It was her older, weaker self, crawling out of the rot and decay in which she'd been buried. _My name is__Natalie Lambert. And you…will…not…win_! Green eyes blazed from that pale face. The light blazing from those eyes was painful, sending her staggering back. In a second the weaker one was upon her, and she was forced to flee before it. With the monster's voice still in her head and the blinding green light of the other burning her, she buried herself deep into the soothing rot. Her time would come. Very soon.

"Jack?" The word seemed to come from far away.

"I'm here." He was just Jack again, smiling at her tiredly, her face still held gently in his hands. "Welcome back."

"Thanks. That was—" Whatever brave words she'd been about to say faded away, replaced by horror at what she'd almost—and still could—become. Then last of her strength abandoned her and she collapsed against him, crying as if her heart would break.

###

It would have been nice to stand that way forever, held in arms that promised safety and comfort. But inch by inch the real world crept back in. The monsters who had done this to her were still out there. Still killing innocent monst—vampires, her mind hastily corrected. And maybe killing Nick while she stood there hiding.

"You know, we do keep ending up like this. If it keeps up people are going to start talking." Her voice sounded strained in her own ears, but stronger than it was before. Jack released her, and gently pushed her tangled hair out of her face.

"We'll plead good cause." Jack looked tired and wan, but grinned his now-familiar smile. "You ready to go teach these guys a lesson?"

"Let's do it."

###

The other offices in the warehouse were as empty as the one they'd entered through. Only the last one, which looked out into the main part of the warehouse, had been in use lately. Mason jars filled with odd-colored substances were stacked on a wooden shelf, and a sleeping bad had been thrown negligently against one wall. Filthy rags were strewn everywhere.

The only clean spot was in the far corner, where a computer hummed contentedly to itself. Ducking to avoid the window, Jack went immediately to the computer while she watched nervously for signs of movement outside. From somewhere in the echoing darkness she could hear a voice lifted in chant. Natalie couldn't make out the words, but they sent a creepy tingle down her spine just the same.

"Gotcha." She looked over at Jack questioningly and his grin widened into a smile. "Somebody forgot to log out of his system." He hit a dozen keys in quick succession and she heard the hard drive start to whir and spin. "I'm going to download all his files onto one of my computers. If anything happens to me, tell Nick it's in the hot one. He'll know what that means." He moved back to her with the vampire speed she still couldn't get used to. "You see anything?"

"No, but I can hear someone. It sounds like it's coming from the south end, but with all the echoes I can't be sure."

"That's as good a place to start as any. Nat, I want you to stay—"

"What did you mean, if something happens to you?" Natalie overrode him. One thing she _was_ used to was a vampire's over-protectiveness when it came to weak little humans. Well, this human, anyway. "You're not planning to do anything stupid, are you Jack?" 

"Of course not." At her look he continued, looking away from her. "But I promised Nick I'd keep an eye on you. Keep you safe. And that means killing this Hunter before he can…can finish what he started." 

"A Hunter who has killed elder vampires ten times your age." Natalie finished quietly. The idea of this shy, brave vampire dying on her behalf made her chest tighten. 

"Yeah, but none of them had Toronto's own Queen of the Dead backing him up. And he's not expecting us, Nat. That gives us an advantage." 

### 

Just how much of an advantage remained to be seen. A brief, whispered conversation had convinced Jack that she wasn't just going to sit by the sidelines while he tried to save the day. So here she was, Natalie Lambert, Girl Wonder, padding as quietly as she could manage between wooden crates and over the occasional dead rat while keeping her eyes peeled for more revenants. They knew there was at least one around—the guard who has passed them by outside. Her job was to watch for him or any other uninvited guests while Jack came around behind the Hunter, hopefully killing him before the man knew he was there. She hadn't seen the Hunter yet, but she could feel him. His power battered at her mind, trying to find a way in. Between his beckoning and the thing inside her, it would be a miracle if she saw anything at all. 

And then she did. The stack of wooden crates on her left abruptly ended, revealing a wide open space in the center of the warehouse. It was bound on three sides by stacks of crates like the one in front of her, the outer wall of the warehouse comprising the forth. The space itself was lit only by candles, which lent an ethereal glow to the spectacle inside. 

The scene was set up like something out of an old Hammer film. A long, heavy wrought iron table was in the center of the makeshift room. Tall candelabra holding black candles stood at each corner of the table, casting shadows that seemed almost alive. The table was draped with a black silk sheet that fell all the way to the cement floor. Scattered around the edges of the room were bodies and parts of bodies, most of them still fresh enough to bleed. She didn't dare look at them any closer; while the thing inside her seemed to crave vampire most of all, it would readily settle for gnawing the dead flesh from the bones. The idea simultaneously made her sick and ravenous. She focused on the nauseous and let her gaze go to the most arresting thing in the room. 

He was tall and thin, wearing a black hooded robe that was belted with something that looked too much like braided human skin to be anything else. He was carefully pouring grains of something red into an ornate pattern on the sheet, murmuring unintelligibly under his breath. An instant later he was looking straight at her. Biting back her gasp of surprise, Natalie stepped back farther into the shadows. Had he seen her? 

A long three seconds later he resumed his work, pouring a thick amber liquid into a wooden bowl and lighting four small red candles. He carefully placed these along the edges of the table and ceremonially scattered gray ash over the entire thing. There was a flicker of movement behind him, and Natalie held her breath as Jack stepped out of the shadows. 

He was holding a fire axe, the kind they'd passed by twice in their explorations. He lifted it and took a step forward. Then another. He was almost within arms' reach. Could it really be this easy? 

The Hunter raised his head. 

"How nice. I so rarely get visitors." One thin hand pushed back his hood, revealing a narrow face etched with years of hate and malice. A thin, unpleasant smile appeared, stretching his lips into a narrow line. 

"Can't imagine why." Jack took another step forward and swung the axe. It whistled down in a steel blur. Nat closed her eyes. 

And opened them as the blade bit deep into cement. The Hunter was now facing Jack, ugly smile still in place. Jack tugged at the axe, pulling it free with some difficulty. He wore a look of surprise that might have been funny in other circumstances. 

"I'm a necromancer, whelp. Master of death. Did you really think that a weak little undead leech like you could sneak up on me?" His calm detachment was far scarier than any threat could have been. 

"Fine by me. You've killed your last vampire, monster." The mild-mannered computer hacker was gone, leaving behind the face of the vampire. "Let's dance. Just you and me." 

"And leave the lady to sit this one out? How rude." He gestured to where she was, hidden deep in the shadows. "Come out, Doctor Lambert. It's time you joined the party." 

At the first stirrings Natalie gritted her mental teeth. She could resist. She would. The burning in her veins was just a result of the infection. She was stronger than this. She was— 

walking out into the light.

###

The light was bright against her eyes. The sensation was familiar, somehow. Had she done this before? She shoved the thought away. It didn't matter. What did matter was the smell of fresh death in the air, sweeter than any perfume. The cool, dark cloak over her mind, eliminating doubt, eliminating fear. The clamoring hunger that was about to be assuaged. She felt stronger, more alive than she'd ever been. 

"Leave her alone." The creature's voice was full of bravado, but she could taste his fear on her tongue. "I'm the one you should be worried about." It took a step forward, raising the axe. Hatred flared inside her. He was threatening The Master. The blade slashed out and she screamed in fury and dismay. 

"You still don't get it, do you?" The Master stood just out of reach, not a scratch on him. How had the creature missed? "I'm afraid I'm a little pressed for time. Otherwise, I'd really enjoy teaching you that particular lesson. But rest assured, you won't go to waste. Will he, Natalie?" 

"No." She walked the rest of the way to them, basking in The Master's approval. "But he tried to harm you, Master. Let me have him. I'll teach him." And fill the empty ache inside her with what she needed. What she had to have. 

"Natalie—" It thought the weak human was still inside. Good. The Master nodded permission, and she made her voice weak, soft. 

"Jack? What's happening?" 

It worked perfectly. The vampire reached out for her, The Master forgotten. She let him put cold, dead hands on her shoulders, bringing him closer while her own hands clenched and unclenched, ready to rend and tear. 

"It's going to be okay, N—" He stopped abruptly as her hunger boiled over. Her face contracted into a laughing snarl as she lashed out, tearing through his thin shirt and into the cold flesh that covered his sweet, undying heart. He staggered back in surprise and they tumbled to the ground, her hands still digging for her prize. 

"Natalie!" Hands that were still—for the moment—stronger than hers grasped her wrists, pulling her hands free of his flesh. Blood was flowing freely now, the smell threatening to drive her mad. "Natalie, you don't want to do this." 

She laughed. "What I want is to shut your babbling mouth." She licked her lips, savoring the droplets of his blood to be found there. "And I know just how to do it." Pretending to struggle against his grip on her wrists, she slid off him just enough to bring her knee up. He gasped in pain and surprise and her hands were free. Natalie leapt, her mouth going for his throat as her hands once again sought his heart. 

The next instant she was airborne, tossed across the room to hit the wooden crates and land gracelessly on the cement floor. The vampire was getting to its feet and walking unsteadily toward her. 

"Natalie, I don't want to hurt you." 

"How sweet," she sneered. "Too bad I can't say the same, vampire. But don't worry. It won't hurt for long." The Master's voice a soothing presence in her head, Natalie launched herself at the vampire. She was to keep it occupied while he completed some preparations. If she could kill it, all the better. 

And again she hit a crate with teeth-rattling force. Natalie lay on the floor, blinking, then slowly struggled to her feet. 

"I'm not much of a fighter, Nat, but I'm betting that I've done a lot more of it than you have. You can't win." There was no threat to his words, just a quiet compassion that made her teeth ache for his flesh. Didn't he know that she was his mortal enemy? Her eyes locked on his, she slowly licked the blood and bits of flesh from her fingers. 

"Mmm. Tasty. How long has it been since you fed, vampire? You look so pale. Nobly refraining from taking what you need from the woman who's going to kill you. Your weakness is going to be the death of you." 

"I like to think it's my strength. You want me? Come and get me." He spread his hands invitingly. "What are you waiting for? The tug of your Master's leash?" 

It was more than she could stand. Natalie launched herself at him with a wordless cry. He didn't duck or step aside, and her leading hand cut a deep swath down one pale cheek. Then he did move, and suddenly she was pinned against him, squirming against the arms that held her at waist and neck. 

"I'm sorry." The words were whispered into her ear, and for one paralyzing instant she knew fear. She was helpless. He could snap her neck, or drain her in an instant. Part of her knew that the latter was no longer possible, but the fear remained. 

He did neither. For several long seconds she thought he'd lost his nerve, smitten as he was with her weaker human self. Then her ears began to ring and her vision grow dim. She looked through human memories that were already fading, and realized that he had cut off the flow of blood to her brain. The doctor she had been predicted swift unconsciousness, followed by death. 

"No!" The titanic scream she'd intended came out as a whisper. She couldn't seem to get enough air. She began to struggle wildly, scratching at the arms that pinned her own arms to her sides, kicking at exposed shins. But the ringing in her ears kept growing stronger, even as her movements grew weaker. 

"I'm sorry, Natalie," the voice whispered again. This time it came from far, far away. She wanted to fight. The Master screamed at her. She must fight. She must, must…sleep. Rest, just for a moment. Natalie's eyelids drooped, then closed completely as a warm red blanket swept down over her thoughts. 

Darkness.

###

An eternity seemed to have passed, but some obscure sense told her that it had been only a few minutes since she had last closed her eyes. A throbbing pain had started in her temples, and the taste of copper was sour in her mouth. Voices echoed around her, but Natalie's fogged brain could make little sense of them. 

"You see? You can't touch me, vampire."

"Really? Then why do I smell blood?" 

Tension was in the voices, stirring something similar in her own mind. She had the nagging feeling that she should recognize them, but it just didn't seem important. Better to lie here and let her head throb. Her eyes were open, and with some effort she managed to focus on the scene in front of her. 

There were two of them, one tall, one shorter, both thin and the worse for much wear. The taller of the two was wearing a black nightshirt or something like that, which was an odd choice in clothing, if you thought about it. It wasn't even clean; red smears ran down the front from an opening over one shoulder. Red liquid glinted brightly there. His face was thin and harsh, and she looked away quickly. She didn't like him. 

The smaller man was slowly circling the taller one. He looked like he'd been in a fight, and was limping noticeably. Looking at him didn't cause fear but a rush of other emotions that she couldn't begin to identify. His face was, was, he was a— 

_Jack_. With that it all came rushing back. The fear. The horror. Tearing at his flesh and—And that wasn't copper in her mouth. Rolling over, Natalie retched weakly. _Oh God. What did I do? _She wanted desperately to shove the memories away, but they were mercilessly bright and clear. 

"What's the matter?" Jack's voice, full of a hate she wouldn't have thought him capable of. "I thought you wanted a fight. Oh, that's right. You let your pet revenants fight for you. But it looks like you're fresh out." He gestured, and now she saw the revenant guard they'd seen earlier. Or bits of him, anyway. He'd been torn apart. Her stomach did a slow roll while another part of her exulted. 

"A lucky blow, nothing more." Natalie closed her eyes and lay perfectly still. If he looked at her… A throaty chuckle caused them to open a moment later. "But I think I've had enough fun for one night." The Hunter—she would never, ever think of him as The Master again, never—was smiling, revealing blood-stained teeth. He opened his mouth again, but instead of words something far worse came tumbling out. She retched again, her body trembling. 

When she could see again Jack had taken several steps away from the Hunter, and looked nearly as sick as she felt. The Hunter, on the other hand, seemed to glow with power. 

"Nice show. Ever thought about Vegas?" Jack asked with a calm he damn well didn't feel. 

"I don't think you'll like this next part." He seemed bigger, stronger somehow. He stretched out one hand. "Kneel." 

Jack gave a strangled gasp and seemed to stumble as something hot and dry baked her skin. Jack spit out a mouthful of blood. 

"To you? Never." And took a single step forward. 

"Are you really that stupid? I'm a necromancer. I control the dead. And you, my boy, are nowhere near strong enough to defy me. _I said kneel_." 

Jack gave a cry and fell to one knee, his hair hanging in his face. 

"You ought to be honored. You've been given the opportunity to help save humanity from monsters like yourself." 

"I'm touched." He coughed more blood out onto the floor. 

"You be more than touched. Once Doctor Lambert has fed from you she'll be one of us, body and soul. And what's left of you will help create a dozen more servants of God." You'll go to hell having served Him best with your own final death." 

Incredibly, Jack laughed. "I have a feeling you don't know Him as well as you think." He forced himself back to his feet and stood swaying before taking a step forward. 

"Stop." Was there fear in the Hunter's voice now? 

_Time to get up, Nat_. A cajoling voice that sounded remarkable like Nick's urged her to her feet. _You've still got work to do_. Her feet felt dipped in cement. It was a struggle to take that first step, even harder to take the second. 

"Make me. If you can." Jack spat the words through gritted teeth. He crossed half the distance between him and the Hunter before staggering to a halt. Blood was flowing freely from his ears. 

Tearing her gaze away, Natalie forced her own feet back into action, focusing all of her concentration on the fire axe, used and discarded during Jack's fight with the revenant. There was a long silence, filled only by the sound of ragged breathing. The axe was only three feet away, and miles out of reach. 

"I…will not…be defeated…by the likes of you." The Hunter (or necromancer; that was how he'd described himself) held himself erect, eyes narrowed in concentration. A trick of the light made them flicker madly. "That's not the deal I was offered. Kneel…and die, vampire." 

Another gust of heat slapped against her skin, blurring her vision and making Natalie bite her lip to keep from crying out. Had she every thought this Hunter was in the right? One of the good guys? He was a thousand times worse than any vampire she'd ever met. So why would he--? Her train of thought was cut off by a cry of pain. 

"Jack!" He was on his knees, coughing up blood. Too much blood. The necromancer stood over him, smiling. At her cry he looked in her direction, blinking away thick tears of blood. 

"Natalie?" The word was barely a whisper. "Get out of here. Run." 

"But the axe is really what you want, isn't it, Natalie?" Those terrible eyes were focused on her now, and her breath turned to ice in her throat. "Pick it up." She did. "Bring it to me, Natalie. We can finish him together. It's what we both want, isn't it?" His words were tender, seductive. And the axe really was what she wanted. Natalie bent and picked it up. 

"Nat, no. Find Nick. Or LaCroix. Tell him—uhhh." Jack shuddered, his eyes closing 

"Come, Natalie. Join us." The necromancer's eyes beckoned. She walked toward him, axe held loosely in one hand. 

"No." Somehow Jack was standing again. "You won't have her. You won't do this. Ever. Again." With every painful word her took a step forward, the necromancer retreating before him. 

_help me natalie i am your master help me NOW_

The refrain built in her head, going round and round like a Mobius strip. There was only one way to end it. Natalie lifted the axe and brought it swinging down. 

"NO!" Her raw cry of desperation mixed with his cry of surprise and pain. The axe had buried itself deep in his shoulder, crushing bone and severing arteries. Blood spattered to the floor in rapidly increasing rivers. 

"Why?" Blood bubbled on the necromancer's lips. Natalie watched in disbelieving horror as he staggered toward her, one arm reaching out. "How could you betray me?" 

"Why won't you just die?!" Her scream tore at her throat, but she didn't feel the pain until much later. "Get out of my head and DIE!" 

The blood flow was slowing. "I can't do that, Natalie. The job's not done." His voice was growing stronger, as was the force hammering at her mind. "But you can still help me. Come to me, Natalie." 

It was too much. Natalie felt the last of her strength fade away. Better to let it end. 

"No." Jack's voice. The battering ram in her head faltered. "Not this time." A wet, meaty sound like a watermelon breaking on cement and a torrent of blood exploded from the necromancer's mouth. He stumbled backward, eyes wide. Now she could see Jack, his left hand and arm covered nearly to the elbow in red. A wet splat, and the necromancer's still-beating heart was resting between the man's feet. Jack grinned at her and she smiled back. It was over. Any second now the necromancer's muscles would relax and his already dead body would tumble to the floor. 

Any second now. 

"Jack? What's going on?" 

Jack looked at her and shrugged. "Got me. Usually when you tear someone's heart out, he falls down." 

They edged away from the twitching necromancer. The heart at his feet was no longer beating, but his body continued to jerk as if connected to an electric current. A bass rumble came up from his chest and his eyes flicked open. They were dead black. Natalie moved closer to Jack and grabbed his hand. 

"I've seen a lot of dead bodies in my time. Trust me, this isn't normal," she replied through ice-cold lips. 

"Nope." Jack sounded as freaked out as she was. "This is just a guess, but I'd say that we're not dealing with the tenant any more. This is the landlord. And he's really pissed about the damage." 

The thing in front of them chuckled as it pulled the axe from its shoulder. Natalie felt her heart stutter in her chest. The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees in an instant. 

"In a manner of speaking, Mr. Cohen. You and the young lady have destroyed a very useful tool. You must be…chastised. Thoroughly." His eyes glowed red. 

"If you're who I think you are, we don't belong to you. You can't touch us." It was a shot in the dark, but it felt true enough. Her grandmother had always told her that you had to invite the devil in. She wished fervently that she'd worn her cross. 

"I beg to differ. The vampire is mine as a matter of course. And you, my dear, are tainted. Revenant blood runs through your veins. That makes you evil. That makes you mine." He smiled, and she was a little girl, cowering from the monster in her closet. Jack's hand tightened on hers and some of the fear went away. 

"Maybe that's true." Jack's voice was shaking, but he met the thing's eyes unflinchingly. "But I think you're stalling. I don't think that body you're wearing can stand up to what you've got planned." 

Jack was trying to push her behind him while he spoke, but Natalie wasn't having any of that. Instead, a crazy, suicidal bravery filled her. She looked beyond the thing's enormous presence and saw the thin, fragile body it inhabited. Whatever had been healing the necromancer's wounds had stopped with his death, and what was left was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Without letting her conscious mind know what she was up to, she snatched up the axe and buried it in the thing's abdomen. 

The agony she'd been half-expecting didn't come, and the screams tearing at her ears weren't her own. She only realized that she'd closed her eyes in anticipation when she opened them again. The beast was still in front of her, screaming in rage and frustration as the body it inhabited spilled its internal organs onto the cold cement. Blazing, hate-filled eyes met hers and she heard herself whimper. She was nothing before the strength of The Beast. The axe slipped from numb fingers and fell to the floor. He would crisp her soul like a— 

And then the moment was broken. Stepping in front of her, Jack shoved at the thing. He cried out in pain as his hands made contact, but pushed ahead anyway, sending the frail body sailing backward. It landed on the ceremonial table, knocking over candles and spilling whatever had been in the bowl. The liquid spilled across the table and an instant later the entire table was ablaze. 

Too exhausted both emotionally and physically to react, Natalie just stood and watched as the fire spread across the body of the necromancer. The thing screamed and flailed its arms madly but did little else as the fire remorselessly consumed it. At last the body lie still. There was one last blast of heat, this one seeming to blow right through her soul, taking the slimy feel of the thing inside her with it as it left. Then, nothing. The fire crackled as it did its work, filled the warehouse with the sweet smell of cooking flesh. Jack's arm went around her shoulders, and she slid one arm around his waist. She closed her eyes, her head resting against his shoulder. She was falling asleep when she heard him chuckle softly. 

"Got any marshmallows?" 

End of Part Six


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

"You think that was really him? The Devil?" They were still standing there, watching the fire burn itself out. Natalie had asked the question, but she was only dimly curious as to the answer. It had been a long, long day. 

"Don't know. Never met the guy, myself. But I'll tell you one thing." He blinked sleepily. "If it wasn't, I really, really don't want to meet the guy's boss." Natalie laughed softly and tightened her arm around her friend. It seemed like there was something else to do or worry about, but her tired mind couldn't quite grasp it. Just as she was ready to give up, it came to her. Her eyes flew open. 

"Nick! Jack, we've got to—" 

"And I thought I'd had an exciting couple of days." Nick's voice. Full of wry humor tinged with playfulness. And warm and alive and _here_. 

"Nick!" Natalie spun around and ran toward him. Then she was in his arms, feeling his familiar, comforting arms around her. It was bliss. "You're alive. You're really alive." 

"More or less." She looked up at him in alarm, then belatedly got the joke. She smacked him lightly in the shoulder. 

"Oh, don't you even joke about that! Jack and I were so afraid that you'd been killed down there." 

"Well, it got a little interesting once or twice, but nothing that serious. I was more afraid for you." He smiled, and her heart nearly stopped beating. "In fact, I thought I was coming to rescue you. The Hunter in New York told me what they were planning in Toronto." 

"He just volunteered the information, huh?" She sniffed, pulling away enough to pat hopelessly at her hair. 

"Well, I _was _pretty persuasive." 

"But of course." It was Janette, padding in on cat's feet, three other vampires half-hidden in the shadows behind her. "They sought to find Toronto's elders. No doubt they hoped to use you to get to Nikolas, Doctor Lambert. And through him, find me." The vampire looked outraged at the very thought. "Though Nikolas foiled that plan when he went charging off to New York." She looked as if his leaving town were a personal affront. 

"Where I found the second Hunter," Nick reminded her. "Once I found out that about the necromancer, I came right back, Nat. I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this." Underneath his warm concern was the overprotective concern of a mother bear for her frail cub. An unreasonable annoyance made her step back and straighten defiantly. 

"I did just fine—we did," she added with a smile. Nat turned to Jack, only then realizing that he hadn't joined them. He was back where she'd left him, silhouetted by the dying fire. "Jack?" 

Jack hesitated, then slowly walked up to join them. He nodded to Nick, then bowed his head toward Janette. He didn't say a word, creating an awkward silence. 

"Thank you," Nick said quietly. "I can never repay you for what you did." 

Jack grinned faintly, running one hand through his tangled hair before looking away. "Um, actually, you can. You think you could call the dogs off? I'd kind of like my life back." He looked past Janette to the three figures behind her. "Would suck to go through all of this only to get whacked by an Enforcer." 

"I think we can work something out," Nick replied with a smile. "I have proof of the collusion between the Hunter in New York and the necromancer here. The Hunter was the computer genius. He located their targets, and gave the necromancer the information he needed to make revenants. The only thing we don't know is how it was actually done." 

"That should be on his computer." Jack gestured toward the office. "Look, I need to bail." He looked nearly as uncomfortable in a crowd of five as he did facing the necromancer, Natalie thought with a smile. 

Nick seemed to understand. "I'll take care of things here. Though I imagine you'll be getting a visit from the Enforcers fairly soon. They'll need to check our stories, if nothing else." 

Jack flashed a quick grin. "After what we've been through tonight, I'm suddenly not to impressed with those guys. Tell them I said 'hi'." He looked like he was about to say more, then dropped his eyes. 

"I'll give you a call later," Nick said. 

"I'm always home." He looked back up, first at Nick and then at her. "Take it easy, Natalie." 

She slipped free of Nick and went to Jack. 

"Thank you. For everything." She kissed him gently and felt a shudder run through him. He was even more tired than she'd realized. "Now go home. Get some sleep. You've certainly earned it." 

"Yeah. Who'd have thought I'd ever get to play white knight?" His grin faded and he dropped his eyes, turning away. "You take care of yourself, Nat." Without another word he left, disappearing like a ghost into the flickering shadows. 

"Come on, Nat." Nick slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go home." 

"You know, that's the best idea I've heard all day." She leaned against him, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly. Even the growling, gravelly voices of the Enforcers couldn't disturb her sense of peace, and after a while they went away. She sighed, and the next thing she was aware of was Sydney's welcoming meow. Her bed floated up to meet her, and the very last thing she felt was Nick's gentle kiss as sleep overtook her. 

THE END


End file.
